What Does Jesus Expect of His Followers Today?

In daily life, what does real righteousness look like? What does Jesus really expect of His followers today? The Beattitudes and the Sermon on the Mount answers the question of what authentic righteousness is—what Christians are to be and do. Along with many other highly regarded Christian authors, Dr. Wiersbe describes the Sermon on the Mount as what human life and human community look like when they come under the gracious rule of God. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, spiritual devotion, attitude toward money, ambition, lifestyle, and network of relationships—all of which are totally different from those of the non-Christian world.

But how should we approach this passage in Matthew's Gospel on the Beattitudes? It would be to our advantage to keep these observations in mind:

• The Focus is on the Blessings of Righteous Character.  Being a master Teacher, our Lord did not begin this important sermon with a negative criticism of the scribes and Pharisees. He began with a positive emphasis on righteous character and the blessings that it brings to the life of the believer.

• The Focus is On Internal Actuality and Not Only External Activity. The Pharisees taught that righteousness was an external thing, a matter of obeying rules and regulations. Righteousness could be measured by praying, giving, fasting, etc. In the Beatitudes and the pictures of the believer, Jesus described Christian character that flowed from within.

• The Focus is On the Internal Condition of the Soul, and Not the Environment Surrounding Us. Imagine how the crowd’s attention was riveted on Jesus when He uttered His first word: “Blessed.”
• This was a powerful word, which meant “divine joy and perfect happiness.” It was not used for humans; it described the kind of joy experienced only by the ‘gods’ or the dead.

• “Blessed” implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. This is what the Lord offers those who trust Him!

• Blessed means “happy, fortunate, blissful.” Not a mere surface or shallow emotion. Jesus was describing the divinely-bestowed well-being that belongs only to the faithful child of God.

• The Beatitudes demonstrate that the way to heavenly blessedness is the opposite of the worldly path normally followed in pursuit of happiness.
• The worldly idea is that happiness is found in riches, merriment, abundance, leisure, and such things.
• The real truth is the very opposite. The Beatitudes give Jesus’ description of the character of true righteousness.
• The Beatitudes describe the attitudes that ought to be in our lives today. Four attitudes are described here.

What Is True Righteousness?  (Matt. 5:1–6)

A.   A Right Attitude Towards Self (V. 3). “Blessed are the poor in spirit”

1. Our Role is Explained (5:3 A): God Blesses Us When We Realize Our Need For Him.

To be poor in spirit means to be humble, to have a correct estimate of oneself (Rom. 12:3).

a.      Consider What Poor in Spirit is Not.

1.      It does not mean to be “poor spirited” and have no backbone at all!

2.      It is not a false humility that says, “I am not worth anything, I can’t do anything!”

3.      This does not refer to natural disposition even, but to one’s deliberate choice and discipline.

4.      “Poor in spirit” is the opposite of the world’s attitudes of self-praise, self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, and self-assertion. It is the opposite of self-sufficiency.

b.      Consider What Poor in Spirit is.

1.      The deep humility of recognizing one’s utter spiritual bankruptcy apart from God. It describes those who are acutely conscious of their own lost condition and hopelessness apart from God’s grace.

·        Matthew 9:12, But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  

·        Luke 18:13, And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

2.      In this humble honesty with ourselves we look to God to help us: know ourselves, accept ourselves, and try to become what He recreated us to be for the glory of God.

3.      We are poor in spirit when we acknowledge our own helplessness and rely on God’s omnipotence.

4.      We must sense our own spiritual need and find our supply in the Lord.

2. Our Reward is Explained (5:3 B): The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Given To Us.

a. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1.      Jesus was teaching that the kingdom is a gracious gift to those who sense their own poverty of spirit.

2.      Beloved the truth of salvation by grace is clearly presupposed in this opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount.

3.      The message is not for the lost, but for the saved.

c.       The kingdom of heaven, is where self-sufficiency is not a virtue and self-exaltation is a vice, this spiritual kingdom of Christ belongs to genuinely humble believers right now.

1.      James 4:10, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

2.      1 Peter 5:6-7, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: [7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

3.      Proverbs 29:23, A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

4.      Isaiah 2:11, The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

5.      Luke 18:9-14, And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: [10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 B. A Right Attitude Towards Sin (Vv. 4–6). 

1. We Mourn Over Sin And Despise It. “Blessed are they that mourn”

We see sin the way God sees it and seek to treat it the way God does. Those who cover, excuse, explain away, rationalize, or defend their sin certainly have the wrong attitude.

a. Our Role is Defined: God Blesses Those Who Mourn (5:4 A).

1.      They that mourn.  Mourning over sin is the correct attitude, the godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation without any regret (2 Cor. 7:10).

2.      This does not refer to mourning because of the unfavorable situations of life.

3.      This is the sorrow which one experiences because of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. It is an active sharing of the world’s hurt and sin with Jesus.

a.       Therefore, it includes, not only sorrow for one’s own sin,

b.      But also sorrow because of the world’s appalling condition,

c.       The World’s rejection of the Savior, and the doom of those who refuse His mercy.

b. Our Reward is Defined: We Will Be Comforted (5:4 B).

We who mourn are blessed because a day of comfort awaits us.

1.      The “comfort” is the blessing of forgiveness and pardon.

·        Isaiah 40:1-2, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. [2] Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.  (1Jn. 1:9; Jer. 33:8)

2.      The “comfort” is the blessing of renewed fellowship and strength.

•      Isaiah 12:1-2, And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. [2] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

3.      We who mourn now will be comforted in the coming day also when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Rev. 21:4). Believers do all their mourning in this life; for unbelievers, today’s grief is only a foretaste of eternal sorrow.   

2.      We Meekly Submit to God’s Will.  “Blessed are the meek”

We not only mourn over our sins, but we should also meekly submit to God (Luke 18:9–14; Phil. 3:3–10).

a. The Role (5:5 A): God Blesses The Meek/Gentle And Lowly.

1.      Meekness Is The Opposite Of Being Out Of Control.

·        It is supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit (Gal. 5:23).

·        “Meekness-- an attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward people, springing from a recognition that God is in control”  –Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary

2.      Meekness Is Not Weakness, For Both Moses And Jesus Were Meek Men (Num. 12:3; Matt. 11:29).

a.       Although weakness and meekness may look similar, they are not the same.

1.      Weakness is due to negative circumstances, such as lack of strength or lack of courage.

2.      But meekness is due to a person’s conscious choice. It is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness.

b.      By nature we may be volatile, harsh, grouchy, temperamental, and gruff.

c.       But by purposefully taking Christ’s spirit on us, we become meek (adaptable, tolerant, subdued, pliable); there is a gentleness of strength about the believer submitted to the Spirit’s control (Matt. 11:29).

3.      This word “meek” describe a horse that has been broken. It refers to power under control for the purpose of satisfying God’s will.

a.       Meekness implies acceptance of one’s own lowly position.

b.      The meek person is gentle and mild in his own cause, though he may be a lion in God’s cause or in defending others.

b. The Reward (5:5 B): The Whole Earth Will Belong To Us.

1. A Third Blessing Is Pronounced On The Meek: they shall inherit the earth.

a.       The meek do not now inherit the earth;

b.      Rather we currently inherit abuse, mistreatment, disregard and dispossession.

c.       But we will literally inherit the earth when Christ, the King, reigns for a thousand years in peace and prosperity.

2. This Promise Gives Us The Strength To Be Patient and Tolerant In Unfair Conditions.

a.       We know God’s in control. Therefore, we don’t have a need to always fight, challenge, or demand our rights.

b.      Many times a failure to “Submit to God’s Will” leads us into sin!

c.       But, if we Graciously Bear Up Under the Mistreatment Now, The Entire Earth will be ours when it’s worth having (Ps. 37:11).

This is only the beginning of our examination of our Lord's legitimate expectations for us as His followers. We have seen that we are to have a right attitude about self and sin from His Sermon on the Mount. The next or sequel to this post will afford us additional insight into Christ's designs for the Christian experience. I sincerely hope you will continue with me through this exploration of our Lord's expectations and blessings. 

It has been well observed, that no comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words “But you are no different from anybody else.” One recurring motif throughout the entire Bible from beginning to end is that God purposes to call out a people for Himself. Such privileged individuals are to be reserved exclusively for His purposes, pleasure, and excellent glory. We do not belong to the world; we do belong to Him. As such we want to honor and obey Him. Our focus is to be true to our spiritual identity, that is, to be “righteous” in all our outlook and behavior.