Matthew 5:1-16: Blessing of Salvation, Healing, and Wholeness

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 29 January 2023 by Major Michael Ramsay. Based on previous versions presented to the Swift Current Corps, 04 January 2015 and TSA AV, 29 September 2019

This is the 2023 version. To read the original click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2015/01/matthew-51-16-spoonful-of-blessings.html

The Beatitudes, which we are looking at today, is Jesus’ introduction to his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon He tells us that we are now citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and, as such, we will interact with the world in a whole new way, even while we are still living and working in Canada or wherever we happen to be.

 

The word ‘beatitude’ comes from the Latin word for blessing which makes sense since each line of the beatitudes begins with, ‘blessed is so and so…” Now, of course, the word ‘blessed’ can mean ‘happy’, ‘at peace’, ‘experiencing well-being’ or even ‘saved’. This is what is available to us even here and now as Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

This is important: By ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, we don’t mean what it will be like ‘when you die and go to heaven’; this passage speaks very clearly that these blessing occur here on earth. It says the meek will inherit the earth (v. 5) and further on in this sermon Jesus speaks about marriage, adultery, an end to divorce… and –of course- Matthew tells us, that there is no marriage, let alone divorce, remarriage and adultery in heaven (Matthew 22:23-30, Mark 12:24-26, Luke 20:34-36). This whole sermon speaks to what life is like when we are citizens of Heaven living here, living now.

 

Reading on: Verse 3, Jesus says, ‘Blessed (saved and peaceful) are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’. Who are these ‘poor in spirit’ and why are they blessed, saved, and peaceful as they inherit the Kingdom of Heaven? ‘Poor in spirit’ in a unique phrase. It does include those who are monetarily poor but not only them: it also includes everyone who is not self-reliant. It can refer to anyone who realizes that they cannot make it on their own; those who inherit the kingdom of heaven as the ‘poor in spirit’ are those who realize that they are not actually independent: financially, socially, emotionally… Jesus is saying that those of us who do not buy into the cult of the individual but rather lean on Him (and others), we are the ones who are blessed, saved, and peaceful as we inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Verse 4: The next group Jesus’ says are blessed, peaceful, and saved are those who mourn. Jesus says we will be comforted. This is speaking about all those who are suffering in our world today and there are many.[4] That Christianity is about comfort shouldn’t be a surprise to us. I am often reminded around Christmas time of the power of God to comfort those who mourn. I receive Christmas cards, emails, and comments from people whose relatives’ funerals I have officiated over the years telling me how much they have appreciated comfort received during the memorial and how they continue to draw on the Lord’s comfort at Christmas as at other times. In the Kingdom of Heaven, blessed, peaceful, and saved are those who mourn for they are comforted. And our whole ministry here is actually about comforting our friends as they go through so many struggles

 

Our next group, Verse 5, that is blessed, peaceful and saved are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Meek is very much a synonym for the ‘poor in spirit’; meek people are gentle. We gentle folk who inherit eternal life are blessed, peaceful and saved and, as an extra bonus, we will inherit the earth!

 

Verse 6: Blessed, peaceful and saved are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. The word righteousness in this context includes the concept of justice. It speaks to those who long for wrongs to be made right and for those who cry out for salvation from the injustices of our current socio-economic-political structures.  I am Vice President of the Justice Committee here; I studied Restorative Justice through Simon Fraser University. Did you know that in the US one in three Black males has been locked in a jail at least once. This is just one symptom of the myriad racial injustices south of the line. We also have injustices here: racial, other and especially economic discrimination. Jesus says that those of us who stand against injustice and those of us who stand for His righteousness will be filled. We will be satisfied. As Jesus’ reign takes hold in our life and our world, those of us who intercede for those in need will be satisfied. Blessed, peaceful and saved are we as we hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness for we will be filled.[5] These are God’s promises to us today!

 

Verse 7: Always accompanying true justice is mercy (cf. 5:38-48, 6:14-157:1-5,12). There is no justice without mercy; therefore blessed, peaceful and saved are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Jesus says in this sermon, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ (7:12). As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven living here and now, we’ll need not fear retribution from one another as we confess our sins and as we love our enemies because we will forgive and we will be forgiven; blessed, peaceful and saved are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.

 

Verse 8: Blessed, peaceful and saved are the pure of heart for they will see God. Pure of heart “denotes one who loves God with all his heart (Deut. 6:5), with an undivided loyalty, and whose inward nature corresponds with his outward profession” (cf. Isa. 29:13).[6] Those of us who love God with all of our heart will see Him and experience Him in our life. This is what it is like to be a Christian.

 

Verse 9: Blessed, saved, and peaceful are those who make peace for they will be called children of God. We who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven will defuse conflict rather than contribute to it. This is corporate as much as individual.[7] I still remember the day that Canada’s armed forces turned from an army of peacekeepers to an army of war-makers. I was working at CFB Esquimalt when Canada invaded Yugoslavia, like Russia is invading Ukraine today. I spoke with some of our service people who until that point had spent their whole military careers standing between warring factions, protecting civilians; now they were ordered to be prepared to even kill innocent civilians (as collateral damage) if necessary, in an illegal, internationally condemned war. It tore at the minds and hearts of many of these soldiers.

 

We who are saved will contribute to peace in the world. So many of our people working at the TSA shelter and BofL soup kitchen keep the peace everyday between people who are struggling in so many ways. Blessed, saved, and peaceful are those who make peace for we are the ones who will be called children of God.

 

Verses 10-16: Now as we come to our last beatitude, I have a question for us. Those of us who are Christians, who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven, will experience blessings. My question is, what is the opposite of a blessing? (A curse.) If we choose not to live in God’s blessing, then we are choosing to live a life that is cursed and that is the choice before us today. We know how horrible the world can be. We know there is misery. We have been looking today at blessings that come during very real trials, tribulations, and problems in our world. Christians are surrounded by all of this. We are not spared any more than anyone else but if we belong to the Kingdom of Heaven then we will be blessed even in the midst of it and that is Good News. This is the Good News: Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again so that we can all live out our salvation forever and for now – even in terrible times. We can experience God’s Salvation in the midst of all that is surrounding us.

 

Our last beatitude, Matthew 5:10-16:

“blessed, [peaceful and saved] are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; blessed, [peaceful and saved] are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You [as you stand up under persecution] are the salt of the earth but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You [as you stand up under persecution] are the light of the world, a city built on a hill [that] cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others [even as you are persecuted], so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

 

These wonderful beatitudes conclude with the good news that we will probably be persecuted (vv. 10-12). And, Jesus says, even though we may lose our lives, our jobs, our family and/or our friends; no matter what happens, we are encouraged to keep strong for the Good News of Jesus’ Kingdom is so good, so important and so valuable that it must be shared. If – as Christians - we do not share the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are as useless as a nightlight hidden under a cup (vv.13-16). If we don’t share the Good News then we are no more useful than adding tasteless flavouring to God’s recipe of eternal salvation. But as we share the Good News of Jesus and as we invite other people to experience the blessings of God even in the midst of all of the troubles of our world today, as we invite people to enjoy the peace and salvation that is found in Christ then they and we will be truly blessed, peaceful and saved for ours will be citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven; then no matter what else happens, it will all be okay. We will be okay. Everything will be okay. Let us continue to offer peace and blessings to our world. 

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

Matthew 3:7-10: Security Clearance (Luke 3:7-9)

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 15 January 2022 by Major Michael Ramsay. Based on the sermon presented to Swift Current Corps, 11 April 2010 

 

 To read the original, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/matthew-37-10-security-clearance.html

 

I can remember when I was in my late teens: I was a janitor. I worked in a lot of high security buildings and so I needed a high security rating. One of the reasons I needed the extra special RCMP clearance was because one of the buildings I was asked to cover when regular janitor was away was the CSIS building

 

When I first had my RCMP clearance done, it was quite something. I was just a teenager and in my interview they asked me what I did twenty years ago, I responded ‘nothing’ – ‘I’m only 18. I thought it was funny – the police officer interviewing me didn’t. They asked me how come I haven’t held a job for 5 years or more – I reminded them that I am only 18 and smiled – they didn’t. This interview went on for an hour or so and then they fingerprinted me and also interviewed two of my friends for character references, one by telephone and one in person. In speaking with them afterwards, it was really quite an in-depth interview and because of this I really began to have some faith in the RCMP and CSIS’s security measures and how seriously they take their jobs. I was beginning to have a lot of faith in the Canadian spy agency’s thoroughness and ability, especially when they reviewed this information they collected on me for up to six months before they finally got back to me with my security clearance.

 

Just out of curiosity, when I finally did get my clearance back, I asked why it took so long. They said it took so long to notify me because they – Canada’s spy agency - couldn’t find me. I pointed out that my address and phone number were on the application form and that I hadn’t moved during that time. I laughed; they didn’t. I was assuming that they were joking when CSIS said they couldn’t find me. I was wrong. I laughed – they didn’t. Shortly afterwards I worked my first shift at the CSIS building and as I was emptying one garbage can at a desk, the person there told me that if I looked at anything in it he’d have to kill me, I laughed – he didn’t. The next week, my boss told me to cover another shift at the CSIS building because I was the only one with clearance. I said no. She laughed – I didn’t.

 

John the Baptist, to some here in our story today, must seem about as humourless as the CSIS agent I encountered, Matthew 3:7-10:

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 

This is interesting because if we just read this pericope it can look like an uncalled-for attack on the religious leaders of the day. It could be like if I or a priest or pastor or even the ministerial executive all go to a Christian concert in the park and the singer puts down his guitar mid-song and says to us, “you snakes…who told you about this event; you think you’re so good, well, you’re not! You say you have Christ as your Saviour, I tell you he can make followers out of this dirt here, if he wants to!”[1] You can see how that might not go over so well.

 

Biblical Scholar Eugene Boring draws our attention to the fact that, “in Matthew’s view they [the Pharisees and Sadducees] represent the Jewish opposition who come to inspect him rather than to be baptised by him” [3]. It would be like Conservatives showing up at a Liberal Party convention or vice versa. For the people present, their presence might have the same emotional effect as a venomous snake being spotted in the grass; or even a whole a brood of vipers being reported very nearby. This latter phrase is the one Matthew reports John used. He called the religious authorities a ‘brood of vipers’ (cf. Matthew 12:34, 24:33). Even more than this being an insult, John could very likely be comparing the religious leaders of his day to the snake in the Garden of Eden. The phrase ‘brood of vipers’ translated literally means ‘sons of snakes’ and could be interpreted to mean ‘sons of the deceiver’, whose teaching is like venomous poison (cf. Genesis 3; Jeremiah 46:22).[5]

 

So this is quite a greeting for the religious leaders. Verses 8 and 9, John then tells not just the religious leaders, but the whole crowd there  to “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:8,9).

 

Alongside John the Baptist, The Salvation Army in our ninth doctrine proclaims ‘that a continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.’ We can’t just say that we have Abraham as our father, Jesus as our Saviour; we need to bear fruit keeping with repentance.

 

John is telling the people that salvation isn’t dependent on who you are or who you claim to be, who your ancestors are, or anything like that. John is telling the crowds that our continuance in a state of salvation is evidenced by a continued obedient faith in God.[6] Produce fruit in keeping with repentance John says because If He wanted to, God could simply create, ‘sons of Abraham’, from rocks, or anything else nearby, I would presume, for that matter.

 

It is the same for us today, if we are saved we will produce fruit in keeping with repentance, a continuance in a state of salvation is evidenced by our continued obedient faith in Christ.[7] We weren’t chosen for a state salvation because we are Canadians or because we are from Vancouver Island. God doesn’t need us; we need God. He can raise Salvationists from the plants over there if he wants to do so. He can raise Churchgoers from that chair over there and God can raise nice people from the cement floor if He wants to.  

 

We weren’t chosen to be raised to eternal life because we belong to group ‘x’ or group ‘y’. we were chosen because God loves us. God loves everyone in the world so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life (John 3:16).

 

You see, Salvation isn’t so much a state of being that you can be born into, as it is the expression of a relationship which one can continue in for both now and forever.[8] The sinner’s prayer, that is rightfully so important in many of our lives, is like a police check, a security clearance. Do you know how long a police security clearance is really good for? …about 5 minutes. In between getting your criminal record checked and handing in the piece of paper to your boss you could stop by the bank and rob it. The paper may say that you have never committed (or at least been convicted of) a crime but as soon as you leave the station it is no longer necessarily accurate. That is why people who work with vulnerable people they are supposed to get criminal record checks done on a regular basis.

 

The experience of salvation itself is more like a marriage than a criminal record check. There is the initial event that starts off the marriage –the wedding ceremony - this is much like the ‘sinner’s prayer’ in most evangelical churches or baptism in some main-line churches. The wedding is just the beginning of the marriage relationship. It is not its culmination. There is a little bit more to marriage than simply standing at the altar and saying, ‘I do’. Our proclamation of salvation, similarly; our saying the ‘sinner’s prayer’ is just the beginning of our salvation; it is not the totality of our salvific relationship with Jesus Christ. And thank the Lord for that!

 

Some of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day in our text are being accused of relying on their position (religion, race) rather than on their relationship with God for salvation. They are accused of not producing fruit in keeping with repentance. Doing this is akin to getting married and then going away, never doing anything with your spouse again: never seeing your spouse again, never talking to her again, never even calling her on the phone again from the time you say ‘I do’ until the time they lower you in the grave. In that case you will have been a part of a wedding ceremony once but you will have never experienced any blessings of the marriage and as long as you are estranged from your husband or wife, wearing that potentially important ring on your finger is pretty useless; and so is the Pharisees’ implied claim that they are sons of Abraham (Matthew 3:9; cf. Luke 3:8). It is an expired security clearance. This is, I think, is what Matthew warns us about when he reminds us to produce fruit in keeping with repentance and when he later tells us to be perfect as Christ is perfect (Matthew 5:4).

 

“While trust in Christ’s salvation is a first requirement, it is not the last.”[9] As Paul reminds the Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). That is the fruit that comes naturally from our relationship with Christ.

 

The eternal covenant with our Lord is the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Being tied together with Christ in a holy covenant means that whatever life throws our way, Christ can handle for us. We no longer need to rely on our own strength (1 Thessalonians 5:22-24). There is no other name under heaven through which men (and women) will be saved (Acts 4:12). So today, I invite us all to continue to turn to the Lord for, even more than the most loving and faithful spouse; Christ will always be there for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Romans 3:3,4). As long as we still have breath in our body, we still have the opportunity to turn and return to God and be saved for now and for eternity.

 

Let us pray.

 

www.sheepspeak.com

 

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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Know Press, 1993), 20.

[2] R. T. France : Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), CD-ROM Note on Matthew 3:7.

[3] M. Eugene Boring, Matthew (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 157,

[4] The Canadian Press “NDP wants names of Tories involved in taping of private caucus meeting” Reported by CBC. Last Updated: Sunday, January 4, 2009 7:13 PM ET. Available on-line at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/01/04/ndp-caucustape.html#ixzz0kFwSb4w7

[5] M. Eugene Boring, 157. Cf. Also R. T. France : Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), CD ROM note on Matthew 3:7, where a parallel is drawn between this event Egypt’s being referred to as a snake by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 46:22)

[6] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘Grace and Works: a Look at Doctrines 5-10 of The Salvation Army’. Available on-line at http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_Theology_TSA.htm#Works

[7] Cf. The General of the Salvation Army. Salvation Story: A Handbook of Salvationist Doctrine. (London, England: The Salvation Army International Headquarters, 1998),73-77.

[8] Cf. The General of the Salvation Army. ‘Salvation Story: A Handbook of Salvationist Doctrine’. (London, England: The Salvation Army International Headquarters, 1998), p. 59.

[9] Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 20.