Tried With Fire

[E]ach of the promises attached to the Beatitudes finds its accomplishment in Christ. Poor in spirit He was, and His supremely is the Kingdom. Mourn He did, yet He will be comforted as He sees of the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11). He was meekness personified, yet He is now seated upon a throne of glory. He hungered and thirsted after righteousness, yet now He is filled with satisfaction as He beholds that the righteousness which He worked out has been imputed to His people. Pure in heart, He sees God as none other sees him (Matthew 11:27). As the Peacemaker, He is acknowledged as the unique Son of God by all the blood-bought children. As the persecuted One, great is His reward, for He has been given the name above all others (Phil. 2:9-11). May the Spirit of God occupy us more and more with Him who is fairer than the children of men (Ps. 45:2). The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer , A. W. Pink, Baker Book House, pg. 67.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.   Matthew 5:10-12 The Lord Jesus here pronounced blessed or happy those who, through devotion to Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are blessed because such are given the unspeakable privilege of having fellowship in the sufferings of the Savior (Phil. 3:10). They are blessed because such "tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed" (Rom. 5:3-5). They are blessed because they shall be fully recompensed in the great Day to come. Here is rich comfort indeed. Let not the soldier of the cross be dismayed because the fiery darts of the wicked one are hurled ...

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" Matthew 5:9 The believer in Christ knows that there is no peace for the wicked. Therefore, he earnestly desires that they should acquaint themselves with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Believers know that peace with God is only through our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19, 20). For this reason we speak of Him to our fellow men as the Holy Spirit leads us to do so. Our feet are "shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15); thus we are equipped to testify to others concerning the grace of God. Of us it is said, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:15). All such are pronounced blessed by our Lord. They cannot but be blessed. Next to the enjoyment of peace in our own souls must be our delight in bringing others also (by God’s grace) to enter into this peace. In its wider application, t...

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Matthew 5:8 This spiritual purity that God demands penetrates far beyond the mere outward renovations and reformations that comprise such a large part of the efforts now being put forth in Christendom! Much that we see around us is a hand religion—seeking salvation by works—or a head religion that rests satisfied with an orthodox creed. But God "looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7), that is, He looks upon the whole inner being, including the understanding, the affections, and the will. It is because God looks within that He must give a " new heart" (Ezek. 36:26) to His own people and blessed indeed are they who have received such, for it is a pure heart that is acceptable to the Giver. As intimated above, we believe that this sixth Beatitude contemplates both the new heart received at regeneration and the transformation of character that follows God’s work of grace in the soul. First, there is a "washi...

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 The mercifulness of our text is the product of the new nature implanted by the Holy Spirit in the child of God. It is called into exercise when we contemplate the wondrous grace, pity, and longsuffering of God toward such unworthy wretches as ourselves. The more I ponder God’s sovereign mercy to me, the more I shall think of the unquenchable fire from which I have been delivered through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. The more conscious I am of my indebtedness to Divine grace, the more mercifully I shall act toward those who wrong, injure, and hate me. Mercifulness is one of the attributes of the spiritual nature that one receives at the new birth. Mercifulness in the child of God is but a reflection of the abundant mercy that is found in his heavenly Parent. Mercifulness is one of the natural and necessary consequences of a merciful Christ indwelling us. It may not always be exercised; it may at times be stifled ...

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 Hungering and thirsting expresses vehement desire, of which the soul is acutely conscious. First, the Holy Spirit brings before the heart the holy requirements of God. He reveals to us His perfect standard, which He can never lower. He reminds us that "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). Second, the trembling soul, conscious of his own abject poverty and realizing his utter inability to measure up to God's requirements, sees no help in himself. This painful discovery causes him to mourn and groan. Have you done so? Third, the Holy Spirit then creates in the heart a deep "hunger and thirst" that causes the convicted sinner to look for relief and to seek a supply outside of himself. The believing eye is then directed to Christ, who is "THE L...

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth . Matthew 5:5 Man wants to have a hand in his salvation. To be told that God will receive nought from him, that salvation is solely a matter of divine mercy, that eternal life is only for those who come empty-handed to receive it solely as a matter of charity , is offensive to the self-righteous religionist. But not to the one who is poor in spirit and who mourns over his vile and wretched state. The very word mercy is music to his ears. Eternal life as God's free gift suits his poverty-stricken condition. Grace - the sovereign favor of God to the hell-deserving - is just what he feels he must have! Such a one no longer has any thought of justifying himself in his own eyes; all his haughty objections against God's benevolence are now silenced. He is glad to own himself a beggar and bow in the dust before God. The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer , A.W. Pink, Baker Book House, 1982, pg. 26-27.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 By these words, Christ refers primarily to the removal of the guilt that burdens the conscience. This is accomplished by the Spirit's application of the Gospel of God's grace to one whom He has convicted of his dire need of a Savior. The result is a sense of free and full forgiveness through the merits of the atoning blood of Christ. This divine comfort is "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7), filling the heart of the one who is now assured he is "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). God wounds before healing, and abases before He exalts.  First there is a revelation of His justice and holiness, then the making known of His mercy and grace. The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer , A.W. Pink, Baker Book House, 1982, pg. 20-21.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3 He who is in possession of this poverty of spirit is pronounced blessed : because he now has a disposition that is the very reverse of that which was his by nature; because he possesses the first sure evidence that a Divine work of grace has been wrought within him; because such a spirit causes him to look outside of himself for true enrichment; because he is an heir of the Kingdom of heaven. The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer , A.W. Pink, Baker Book House, 1982, pg. 13

Crucifying Morality by R.W. Glenn, Shepherd Press, 2013, 128 pages. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Beatitudes? For me, it's the Sunday school lesson "Be this Attitude". Therefore, all good little Christian boys and girls need to try really hard to be like this. Right? Author and pastor R.W. Glenn would heartily disagree with that assessment. In Crucifying Morality , the Beatitudes are not presented as a list of dos and dont's but as a gospel litmus test. They "presuppose that you have turned from your sin and self-righteousness to trust in Jesus as the one who lived the life you could never live and died the death you deserved to die and now gives you the benefit of that life and death as a free gift." (pg. 17)  Thus the Christian realizes he cannot trust in his own righteousness, effort, or morality to please God. Jesus had to crucify those very things on the cross. But in exchange, the Christian can now experience w...