We Are Blessed to Be God's People

Matthew 5:1-12 There is a distorted view of Christianity out there right now that says we have every right to expect that God will make us rich and healthy and successful in all we undertake.  These false prophets of health and wealth say that this is what it means to be blessed by God.

But truth be told, the vast majority of Christians on earth right now—to say nothing of our fellow Christians who have come before—were not, and are not, rich and healthy and successful.  They are poor.  They suffer persecution.  They are anything but powerful.

And so then, are they not blessed—these saints who have come before us and our fellow saints who endure hardship and suffering?  Is their faith somehow insufficient or deficient?  Do they just need to pray harder and trust more?  Or is the real problem a mistaken view of what it means to be blessed by God?  If so, where can we learn the truth?  The Bible says that:

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.  And he opened his mouth and taught them... 

            All of us have our own ideas about what it means to be blessed by God.  All of us know the kind of blessings we want.  The question for us today is, are we willing to put all of those presuppositions aside and let ourselves be taught by Jesus?  Are we willing to set aside our preferences and our expectations and let Jesus teach us what a life of God’s blessing is like?

            We should, for Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.  He loves us so much that he has given his life in exchange for ours.  If there is anybody that we should listen to when it comes to our life here on earth and the blessings we can expect from God it is Jesus.

            So what does Jesus teach about a life that is blessed by God.  What does that kind of life look like?  Jesus says a life of God’s blessing is a life where our spiritual needs for forgiveness and salvation are met; a life of purpose in which we are called to live as God’s children; a life lived in such close fellowship with Jesus that we too will bear a cross.  Jesus said:

 “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. 

            Everyone in the world understands the necessity of food and drink and clothing and shelter to support this earthly life.  Everyone wants material blessings. But for so many people that is as far as their understanding of what life is all about goes. 

They are blind to their need for a life with God.  They are deaf to his call to come to him and be saved.  And so they live their life as if this life is all there is, never really understanding that there is a chasm of sin and guilt and shame that separates them from the only One who can give their life meaning and purpose.

That is why it is such a blessing from God to know—as painful as it is—what our real condition is:  poor, hungry, helpless.  In this knowledge of our own spiritual poverty and grief over our lost condition- there is the beginning of a new life blessed by God.

That is why Jesus teaches us that those who are poor in spirit and those who mourn and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed by God—because it is there in mourning and poverty and hungering that our spiritual needs are abundantly met by Jesus Christ.

He is the One who pours out upon our poverty the riches of his grace; who satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness with his own holy life and reconciling death; who changes our mourning into rejoicing as he forgives our sins and brings us back into God’s family. 

We have nothing to fear by valuing spiritual blessings above material blessings or in putting his kingdom above the kingdom of this world because Jesus promises that those who are meek and humble will not only have their earthly needs met—they will inherit the earth.

It is this promise (that there can be no loss for the child of God) that frees us to live our lives for him, walking in his steps, and making him manifest to others.  Jesus said:

“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. 

            The Bible says that through faith in Jesus Christ we are children and heirs of God—that in Holy Baptism we have been buried and raised with Christ—that we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We have been purified by the cleansing blood of Jesus. 

This is the change that the Holy Spirit has worked in by bringing us to faith in Christ and that is the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in us right now by conforming us into his image.

Our life as God’s children is not about a list of “do’s and don’ts” –it’s not about fear of punishment if we get something wrong because Jesus has already suffered that for us on the cross.  Instead, we are blessed by God to make Jesus known by how we live our lives.

We are merciful to others because Christ has been merciful to us.  That word mercy has to do with the powerful acting with kindness.  Now you may not think that you are in a position of power—but you are. 

That person who waits on you in a restaurant—that person who works for you—that student in your class—that person who is much younger than you or much older than you or much poorer than you—that child in your home or your wife--all of them are in some way less powerful than you as a consumer and a boss and a parent and a teacher and a husband. 

In the same way that Jesus used his power to help us—so are we to mercifully serve others.  In these relationships and in all our interactions with others we are to be people of peace.

That we have a life with God—that we stand under his blessing-- is only because Jesus Christ has made peace between us and him by his blood shed on the cross and in the same way we are to be people of peace who extend his peace to others.

In all this we are called by the Spirit to live out Christ’s life in our own life in such a meaningful way that those around us can come to know Jesus through us but as we do that we should also understand the hardships that come with living a life like his.  Jesus says:

 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

            Jesus was merciful, holy, righteous and peaceful.  You would think that the world would have welcomed him with open arms.  And of course many have.  Today we remember and give thanks for all those saints who have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

But for every one of those who have loved and served Jesus there have been countless more who have rejected him.  We cannot forget that Jesus’ holy, righteous, merciful life led to the cross and so it will for all those who walk in his ways.

That is why Jesus says that those who are persecuted and reviled for his sake are actually blessed because these hardships and sufferings reveal (in a way that nothing else can) the truth of their confession:  that they are actually God’s people and Jesus’ disciples—saints of God.

And so when we go through some hardship because of our faith—when we are rejected by others because we hold fast to the truth—when others speak ill of us on account of our love for Jesus—we can count these as divine testimonies that we are destined for heaven. Jesus said:

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It may seem odd to many people in the world today—and even those in the church who have bought into the false gospel of health and wealth—to hear Jesus teach that mourning and hungering and thirsting and persecution are occasions for rejoicing and gladness but it is only because they do not understand that a life of God’s blessing is (finally and in the end) a life that is connected to Jesus Christ. 

And because the servant is not above his Master, how can our lives as Christian people be any different than his?  Both in the hardships and difficulties-- but also in the joys!

Jesus’ rejection by his own people and the betrayal of fiends and his death on the cross was not the end of his story and hardship and persecution will not be the end of our story.  Yes, Jesus died but he was also raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to take his place with God in glory and beauty and joy that has no end.

So it will be for us!  We can be glad for earthy blessings but our hope for the future ought to be directed to what is still to come when we go to be with God and the saints in heaven—a place where there is no suffering or sorrow or separation—but only peace and joy.

We don’t have to worry that in following Jesus as Lord and Savior we are somehow missing out or that it is not worth it.  We don’t have to worry when we go through hard times that somehow the blessings of God have left us. 

Instead, the hardships of being a disciple of Jesus Christ are a sure sign that we are on the right track—that narrow road that leads to heaven. 

Those false prophets in the church who say that a life blessed by God is nothing but health and wealth and earthly success simply cannot account for the millions and millions of Christians who were martyred for their faith—Christian who had to endure a lifetime of suffering—Christians who were weak and despised by the powers of this dark and dying world.

Instead, Jesus tells us that God’s blessing rests upon his saints even when they suffer because they are forgiven by his blood and walk in his ways.  What a blessing on All Saints Days to be reminded that a life that is truly blessed by God is a life where our spiritual needs are met; a life filled with the holy purpose of making Christ know to others by how we live; a life that is so close to Jesus that we too are called to carry our cross.  Amen.