“THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT” – Matthew 5
(A picture of Salvation and the process of Sanctification.)
This commentary of ‘The Sermon on the Mount” is concise yet mysterious. It is hard to understand with the mind. In fact, it is impossible to understand with the natural mind, but difficult even by the faculty of the mind of a Believer.
It must be experienced to be understood. It is the supernatural work of SANCTIFICATION by God. Most of us work hard to avoid the process of becoming entirely sanctified because it can be difficult, painful and even bewildering.
Actually, the outcome is the amazing, supernatural work of God transforming us into His Own, children of Light, as we become the Heirs of the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 5:1 ¶ When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 ¶ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 ¶ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Here is the interpretation of these verses and their meanings. Please read:
3 ¶ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This “Sermon on the Mount” starts by telling us that we are Blessed, when we are poor in spirit. We all have heard that this means we are “spiritually bankrupt”. Yes, I suppose this can be one very basic and rudimentary meaning. Being “Poor in Spirit” however, means so much more:
V3: “Poor in spirit” (Greek: ptochos) literally means to be
1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms
2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor
2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches
2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end
2c) poor, needy
3) lacking in anything
3a) as respects their spirit
3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)
This comes from a root and alternate meaning “to be terrified”, “as a decaying corpse”.
It should cause us to wonder how could we possibly be considered “Blessed” if we are “poor in spirit”.
These verses go on to tell us we are “Blessed” if we are “mourning” loss, “hungering and thirsting”, or being “persecuted for the sake of righteousness”. How can this be? “Poor in spirit” is, more literally, to be crushed in your spirit; to be pinched by toil, hopelessness and extreme poverty; A beggar with no hope of rescue on the verge of death and perishing. It is when life deals you crushing blows, which seem to be your end with no way of escape that this marvelous work of salvation, redemption and sanctification can begin; and not before.
We hear it said “you must come to the end of yourself to enter the Kingdom of God” which is true enough, but none of us have the will power to bring ourselves to such a desperate state. It is God, alone, who will allow or bring crushing circumstances to bear on our lives which will cause us to turn to God for help. And only God can save us from such desperate circumstances, redeem us to a state of wholeness, health and safety which is His Sanctification (holiness) of our lives. Please read the following verses and take note of the process. Here, the Bible explain to us, ahead of time, what we must endure (yes, endure) in order to “inherit the Kingdom of God”.
V4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Mourning”. An understandable response upon finding yourself severely pinched by poverty, reduced to begging; destitute with no influence, no position; lowly, afflicted and helpless; powerless to change your circumstances for the better; lacking in anything and terrified.
Think with me. Have you ever endured an especially difficult time? Perhaps, as a child, you were punished for bad behavior? Besides receiving a scolding you may have been spanked or had privileges taken from you? Or perhaps you endured a time of suffering and loss? “Mourning” was the natural response. What did you experience next?
V5: “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Do you remember after enduring a time of suffering or loss and “mourning” your loss, having a good cry, you how your emotions or spirit was quieted for a time? You may have now had time to reflect on what has happened and you lapse into a time of quiet, gentle appearing reflection. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Do you remember coming through a difficult time, having a good cry, either mentally or actually shedding tears and then the ‘calm the followed the storm’ in your soul? Do you also remember that, for some reason, with the storm of your life behind you, you were actually hungry? It is the same in our spirit. It is usually at this point that we begin to make life-decisions. We either getting angry and defiant or we decide to do better and to “be better”.
For those being redeemed by the mercies of God, the process is to ‘hunger and thirst for right thinking and right living’: which is the very definition of Righteousness. It is through this process that we gain new insights and understanding. How apt are scriptures to remind us in the next verse that
V7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
The word ‘mercy’ in this verse literally means “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one’s self merciful
We are indeed being “Sanctified”: Being made holy and set apart for God’s use.
V8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Our attitudes are changing. Showing mercy is a sign that our hearts are changing and become pure in the sight of God. We are being transformed in what we see and in how we see. We are beginning to see matters as God sees them.
V9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
A peace will begin to settle over the heart and mind of the redeemed and sanctified Believer. We, not only begin to experience ‘a peace that passes understanding’ from our deepening relationship with God, but we begin to demonstrate and practice that peace of God which earns us the title “sons (and daughters) of God”. We are being made into His image.
V10: “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The bible tells us that it is now that we possess the Kingdom of Heaven. This statement is too rich and too profound for the “casual Christian” or “casual Believer” to understand.
The phrase “Kingdom of Heave” means this:
KINGDOM: βασιλεία basileia bas-il-i’-ah, The notion of a foundation of power;
1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
1a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
1b) of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
1c) of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
Note: This word, ‘Kingdom’ comes from a root word baino, “to walk”
1) a stepping, walking
2) that with which one steps, the foot
This reminds us of the tremendous proclamation in Joshua 1:3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”
HEAVEN: οὐρανός ouranos oo-ran-os’, perhaps from the same as 3735 (through the idea of elevation); the sky
1) the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it
1a) the universe, the world
2) the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings.
OURS IS NOW THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
We are becoming and, in a real sense, we have already become, heirs of the Kingdom of God, the place of the foundation of all power. (Ephesians 1:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,)
A place of royal power, kingship, dominion and rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, God’s Kingdom. It is of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah. It is the Place of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom. (From Strong’s concordance, definitions and translations of the Greek and Hebrew languages)
Here is what “Entire Sanctification” Looks Like:
Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
These verses tell us we are “Blessed” if we are “mourning” loss, “hungering and thirsting”, or being “persecuted for the sake of righteousness”. How can this be?
“Poor in spirit” is, more literally, to be crushed in your spirit; to be pinched by toil, hopelessness and extreme poverty; A beggar with no hope of rescue on the verge of death and perishing.
It is when life deals you crushing blows, which seem to be your end with no way of escape that this marvelous work of salvation, redemption and sanctification can begin; and not before.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Footnotes:
‘Sanctified’ according to the Bible, is to be
1. Dedicated, separate and set apart for God and God’s use
2. To be purified and to be conformed in character to the dedication to God and for His use: made Holy.
3. As the first two points are valid in a sanctified person’s life, then we are free from guilt
4. To live a life as described in the foregoing points.
Sanctify: (From Strong’s concordance) 37 ἁγιάζω hagiazo hag-ee-ad’-zo
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- To make holy, consecrate, sanctify
- To dedicate, separate, set apart for God
- To purify, make conformable in character to such dedication
- Forensically, to free from guilt {#1Co 6:11 Eph 5:26 Heb 2:11 10:10,14,29 13:12 )
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Hagiazo (sanctify) comes from the word Hagios which mean Holy, it is a characteristic of God, to be separated to God, to be worthy of veneration.
1) Its highest application is to God himself, in his purity, majesty and glory. {#Lu 1:49 Joh 17:11 Re 4:8 }
2) Applied to persons as separated to God’s service:
2a) Of Christ: {#Mr 1:24 Ac 4:30 }
2b) Of Christians: {#Ac 9:13 Ro 1:7 Heb 6:10 Re 5:8 }
3) In the moral sense of sharing God’s purity: {#Mr 6:20 Joh 17:11 Ac 3:14 Re 3:7 }
4) Of pure, clean sacrifices and offerings: {#1Co 7:14 Eph 1:4 }
To be sanctified according to the Bible, is to be
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