Matthew 5:6-12

Welcome

11 Matthew 5.6-12

March 22nd 2026

Last week we covered the first two and a half statements of being blessed by Christ on the Sermon on the Mount.

They were

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for theirs IS the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Blessed are they that Mourn for they shall be comforted.

The third which we read but didn’t talk about was blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Right off the bat I categorize these first blessed’s as loss blessed’s - they all exist in states of humility, of ego death, describing the basis for a life-long walk with Christ.

Verse 5. The meek. Meekness is patience in the reception of injuries. It is neither meanness, nor a surrender of our rights, nor cowardice; but it is the opposite of sudden anger, of malice, of long-harboured vengeance. Christ insisted on his right when he said,

"If I have done evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?"

Joh 18:23. Paul asserted his right when he said,

"They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily; nay, verily, but let them come themselves, and fetch us out,"

Ac 16:37. And yet Christ was the very model of meekness. It was one of his characteristics, "I am meek," Mt 11:29. So of Paul. No man endured more, and more patiently, than he. Yet they were not passionate. They bore it patiently. They did not harbour malice. They did not press their rights through thick and thin, and trample down the rights of others to secure their own.

Meekness is the reception of injuries with a belief that God will vindicate us. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord," Ro 12:19. It little becomes us to take his place, and to do what he has a right to do, and what he has promised to do.

Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those who offer them with pity. He that is constantly ruffled, that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard, and to raise a storm of passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

They shall inherit the earth. This might have been translated the land. It is probable that here is a reference to the manner in which the Jews commonly expressed themselves to denote any great blessing. It was promised to them that they should inherit the land of Canaan. For a long time the patriarchs looked forward to this, Ge 15:7,8; Ex 32:13. They regarded it as a great blessing, It was so spoken of in the journey in the wilderness; and their hopes were crowned when they took possession of the promised land, De 1:38; 16:20. In the time of our Saviour they were in the constant habit of using the Old Testament, where this promise perpetually occurs, and they used it as a proverbial expression to denote any great blessing, perhaps as the sum of all blessings, Ps 37:20; Isa 60:21. Our Saviour used it in this sense; and meant to say, not that the meek should own great property or have many lands, but that they should possess peculiar blessings. The Jews also considered the land of Canaan as a type of heaven, and of the blessings under the Messiah. To inherit the land became, therefore, an expression denoting those blessings. When our Saviour promises it here, he means that the meek shall be received into his kingdom, and partake of its blessings here, and of the glories of the heavenly Canaan hereafter. The value of meekness, even in regard to worldly property and success in life, is often exhibited in the Scriptures, Pr 22:24; 15:1; 25:8; 15:1-33. It is also seen in common life that a meek, patient, mild man, is the most prospered. An impatient and quarrelsome man raises up enemies; often loses property in lawsuits; spends his time in disputes and broils, rather than in sober, honest industry; and is harassed, vexed, and unsuccessful in all that he does.

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come"

GRAPHIC 1

GRAPHIC 2

S

Realm of Happiness S

TREE OF KNOWLEDGE LIFE

B

Evil Good

_ +

GRAPHIC 3

Evil Good

(-) Consequences (+) Consequences

GRAPHIC 4

Evil Good

(-) Consequences (+) Consequences

GRAPHIC 5

(humble

maturity)

LOSS - Beatitudes GAIN + Beatitudes

Evil Good

(-) Consequences (+) Consequences

So, having described the nascent experience people have in seeing the light, and with Yeshua saying that those who enter therein are blessed even though He describes three states of being that in this world are typically seen as negatives – they are not negatives but they are a form of loss, a form of humbling oneself, a form of regret.

Now there is something super significant to point out here.

In Yeshuan’s day, when He was speaking to the Nation and men like Nicodemus, these had to be born from above to even see the Kingdom of Heaven.

And that rebirth was spiritual and based on them choosing to believe on Him who was sent – to them – then.

This was the context of that day, rebirth and entering into the Spirit and Kingdom – you must be born from above and again, that happened when the people were touched by the Spirit, humbled themselves and believed.

Here’s the catch – and it really is semantics because both experiences amount to a birth of sorts, but BECAUSE of Christ having had the complete victory over sin and death, hell and Satan and because He has reconciled the world to the Father once and for all, people today are not so much needing to have faith in the message shared in order to have God enter them, BUT it is more a matter of them seeking Him who is in them already.

What I mean by this is today it is not so much as being dead in sin and having no spiritual inclinations within but it is uncovering/discovering the victorious Christ within you as He is in all people unconditionally.

I say this from my own experience in life and counter a false teaching by Calvinists who teach that the old Nicodemus model is not only still in place but that everyone is absolutely dead in sin and separated from God until God elects them, having nothing that they can do within to seek or see Him unless He acts first, but the reality is, Paul said this in his day to the Church at Corinth –

2nd Corinthians 5:18-19 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now listen, in verse 18, the Greek word for "reconciled" is a participle, not a finite verb tense, acting as an adverbial participle of time or cause.

What the heck does that mean? Specifically, it is the aorist active participle of katallassō (καταλλάξαντος), signifying

GRAHIC

“a completed, decisive action of God reconciling humanity to Himself through Christ's death.”

What does this mean my friends? We have all been returned to the Garden of Eden state of our parents SPIRITUALLY and are like them in our existence relative to God – and we are in the place to elect to seek and find and believe on WHAT IS ALREADY IN US OR to reject what is in us and live by the tenets of our will in the REALM OF HAPPINESS.

How do I know this? I used to describe what happened on the Roadside as my being reborn but the fact of the matter was He had been calling to me my whole life and I had not been ready or willing to receive what He had already instilled in me nor was I ready to make it my guide.

So it was still a birth of sorts, but was not predicated on God sending His Spirit in me when I believed but it was more my being in a place I was able ready and willing to hear.

And then from that day I have had the constant choice to either let Him reign and recreate in me a new man or take back my flesh and live according to my will and ways.

If I was spiritually dead what was driving me to seek Him from a young age???

This is a significant difference between the Nicodemus pre-victorious Christ experience and what all people are facing today.

This suggests that our approach to helping people unearth the Christ in them, and to elect to let Him reign, and the reasons why this is so valuable is the call of a Yeshuan and it is NOT because God has not been reconciled to everyone – He has. The question becomes, do you want the gift within, do you want to like they do on Survivor, build fire from that inner spiritual flame to where it ultimately consumes your former person residing in the flesh below, or do you want to stay in the ROH, die in the realm of happiness, and just let the reconciled flame within you stay but a spark?

So, having suffered lose of all that was before and below, Christ now embarks on teaching how to reform the inner person, and this moves us into what I call the North East Quadrant of Christian living.

Let’s read verse 6

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Which do – its an action – taken from the heart – to literally hunger and thirst after??? Righteousness.

Here is the thing – there is an application to wanting to be righteous in our flesh and to hunger and thirst after discipline but that is not the meaning nor what Christ is saying.

I know this from testing it. Remember what the scripture says? And this is KEY to people really understanding how to grow and mature in Him. Ready?

He is the righteousness we hunger and thirst after – not acts of righteousness – all of that comes from the ROH positive soul actions.

1 John 2:1 says, "Jesus Christ, the righteous".

1 Peter 3:18: Says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God,"

Acts 3:14: Peter calls Yeshua "the Holy and Righteous One".

In Acts 7:52: Stephen refers to Jesus as "the Righteous One,"

2nd Corinthians 5:21 says that “he knew no sin, and through him, believers become the righteousness of God.”

Isaiah 53:11: Prophesies that the "Righteous One, my servant," will justify many.

Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15 speaks of a righteous branch, in 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul calls Him the righteous judge and finally Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 1:30

1st Corinthians 1:30-31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Down in the realm of Happiness, religions preach and teach that our hungering and thirsting after righteousness is seen in religious works.

But everything – reading, praying, serving, loving – are expressions of our hungering and thirsting after Him alone – nothing else.

The promise Christ gives – they shall be filled. I can promise you that His promise is true.

So then the natural result within those who have truly hungered and thirsted after Him, the net result – something that He has genuinely brought forward into me which was not well developed before, or had been buried, is verse 7

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Mercy is giving someone something that they do not deserve – justice is giving them their just desserts.

The presence of Christ’s mercy is a clear indication that He is abiding in you. The presence of Judgment is a clear indication that you have been governed by law and religion.

The blessing of being merciful – He says it, not me – they shall receive mercy.

I am of the opinion that while God has reconciled all of us to Himself through the work of His Son, the two way street that connects God and Man appears to suggest that we do and will reap what we sow from God.

If we sow unforgiveness, judgement and condemnation on ANYONE ever, we are not punished but we will receive or reap the outcome upon ourselves.

Yeshua taught the following in His mortal ministry and I believe that the principles remain true and suggest that they will unfold as we just described. He said,

(Matthew 6:14-15)

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(John 8:31-32)

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

(John 15:5)

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Here in the Beatitudes He speaks to another two-way sow and reap point saying that the natural outflow of hungering and thirsting after righteousness will be that the merciful will also obtain mercy (meaning from God).

But again, take it ALL in context because the mercy will come after someone has hungered and thirsted after righteousness.

Verse 8

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

A natural by product of mercy is your heart become pure. Meaning your intentions, your real soul.

Hebrews 12:14 says

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Blessed are these because they shall see God is a promise Yeshua gives and it is future tense therefore He says, shall see rather than do see.

So we have become pure in heart now, a product of being merciful, a product of hungering and thirsting after Him, which is a product of being meek, mourning, and being poor of spirit.

But He continues and says,

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Herein my friends is one of the last bastions of a disciple of Christ in this world - they are peacemakers, they strive for unity, they forgive, they are merciful to all as Christ has been merciful to them.

Unity is a central tenet of the faith – peace with all men – especially among all people of faith.

It comes when we realize the love God has for all of his human creations – so much so that He gave His Son to save us.

It comes when we step back from dogma, demands, doctrinal certitude that we impose on others.

It comes by giving all people the benefit of the doubt, when we find reasons to forgive, show longsuffering, use patience, and take the faith of others in stride and when we accept that we have all come from different places, that we all have different intelligences, personalities, backgrounds, wounds, parents, weaknesses and strengths.

Peacemaking is present when we realize the heart of Christ for the world and it is a central trait of the most evolved believers and disciples.

It sees the through line of all God has done and humbly welcomes all in faith to come along, and to never side with division with others over opinions.

To be at war over elements of faith with people of faith, in my estimation, is like

Arguing over the best ice cream flavor.

Our faith is personal, our beliefs are subjective -be a peacemaker in the Name of the King of Peace. Trust that He is at work – peacemaking is an act of genuine faith in God and letting go of your will and ways and to trust that He is at work and our job is to love, love love.

In the chosen act of peacemaking Yeshua says that these shall be called the Children of God.

We are creations of God

We are babes in Christ

We are the Children of God

And His children ardently stand for and live for peace.

And here comes the result of an individual working through all of these things, sometimes at different times, sometimes in different orders – but it is no mistake that Yeshua ends with what is the outcome of it all – ready?

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What do you see? That whether a believer is new to Him, like the thief on the cross, or whether you have matured to the point that you are a persecuted peacemaker, theirs IS the Kingdom of Heaven.

Isn’t that remarkable? It plays right into the parable of the workers that says whether you are laboring all day or come in at the last hour, you are worthy of reward.

Interestingly, this last one about being persecuted hearkens back to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (which we said was Christ alone) and so the context here is

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This was especially true in that day when those who elected to follow Him were persecuted for that act.

Also note thaYeshua ends the beatitudes by speaking more about persecution for righteousness sake (like being a peacemaker) than any other point.

Listen to all He says,

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.

This teaching is directly to them/then, in that time and especially that place because of all the surrounding chaos and death but the principle remains the same today – that when you, a believer elect to embrace and mature in these things that you do ON HIS BEHALF – you will be persecuted.

And here is the deal – that persecution is typically poured out by the most zealous and from those of our own ranks.

The rest of the world – especially today – is okay with humble servants of Christ, the world doesn’t even relate to them. But almost all groups – believers and not will persecute religious zealots – which are being persecuted not for His sake but because they are condemning but also, within the faith the persecution comes when a person really stands up for what Yeshua truly taught.

So let’s take a look at all of this through another graphic:

GRAPHIC 6

(humble

maturity)

LOSS - Beatitudes GAIN + Beatitudes

Evil Good

(-) Consequences (+) Consequences

Now ask yourself, when are we tested and challenged in our respective walks?

When we are wrongfully accused, lied about, maligned, gossiped over – especially for doing what He said to do?

It challenges us and sometimes we lose our stuff and lash out. We can ruin the peace we sought to make, loose the purity of heart, become unmerciful in a moment, are full of His righteousness.

When we are immature, we might even go back down to our former ways of the flesh – and it looks like this:

GRAPHIC 6

Evil Good

(-) Consequences (+) Consequences

But to the mature, the cycle begins again, and in the face of our weakness, we become poor in spirit, mourn over our weak flesh, and become meek before Him.

This is the cycle Yeshua teaches in these first verses of His sermon on the Mount.

Thanks for watching.