Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
The poor in spirit
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 5:3). This is a strange saying to many, but being poor in spirit involves emptying oneself of oneself so there may be room for Jesus Christ in that person's life. The rich in spirit are full of self and there is no room for Christ. Therefore, theirs is not the kingdom of heaven. As one studies the "Beatitudes," or statements of who is blessed in the fifth chapter of Matthew, it becomes clear that humility and self sacrifice are characteristics that will be necessary for the one who would enter into the kingdom of heaven. The final statement in the beatitudes is "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake; for their is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). All of the characteristics listed between verses 3 and 10 are also part and parcel of the Christian character; the poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and they which are persecuted for righteousness sake.
They that mourn
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). There are people who have mourned because of the loss of loved ones 'till their dying day who were never comforted. What then can be the meaning of this verse? How can there be comfort when one is in such deep sorrow? The key here lies in the kind of sorrow one has. The Bible teaches, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death”(2 Cor 7:10). Godly sorrow is sorrow which results in one's repenting of sin. When one responds to the message of God and that message changes his life he has repented. Repentance has a direction. The inspired apostle, Paul, preached, ". . . repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). When one repents toward God, he begins to submit to the teachings of God which lead to salvation. This is indeed a blessing for those who have mourned over sin. But not only will the individual mourn because of his own sin, his mourning over the sins of the world will motivate him to become involved teaching the soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ to others.The meek
"
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth" (Mathew 5:5). It is difficult to imagine the meek getting ahead in anything. Can you imagine a successful salesman having a sign on his desk saying, "Blessed are the meek?" It just doesn't seem to fit the “go-get-'em” image we have of the successful business man. The company sales manager does not give his sales force a pep-talk that ends in "blessed are the meek." But the Bible teaches us that these are the very ones who inherit the earth. Consider the territory of the meek ones, are there more bunny rabbits or gorillas on the earth? We have been conditioned to think that the meek are the ones who allow everyone to walk all over them. This is a far cry from the Bible examples of meekness. "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num 12:3). It was who Moses lead the children of Israel out of Egypt after defying Pharoah. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt 11:29), said Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And so, in these two examples alone, the strength of meekness is found in submissiveness to God. The haughty, the rich in spirit, the proud and the high minded can never have standing with God in His kingdom. But, something wonderful occurs when one decides to submit to God;". . . all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:" (1 Peter 5:5, 6).
Those who have submitted to God are able to enjoy the earth now without having to possess it. Faithful Christians are those who are the most blessed by this earth which God has created. Those who are meek are even able to enjoy the beauty of the possessions of others because they are not covetous. It therefore follows that the covetous are not meek because they have not submitted to God, and they are thereby unable to inherit the earth.
The hungry and thirsty
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). There is a hunger that motivates. If the hunger is for food, this hunger moves one to get out of his chair and go to the refrigerator or cupboard or to a Cracker Barrel to find something that will satisfy. But when the hunger is for righteousness, one is motivated to go to the Supplier of righteousness to be filled. This hunger will motivate one to be like the Bereans who were receptive to the word of God and who searched the scriptures daily to see whether what they were being taught was so (Acts 17:11). One is not filled unless one has a strong desire for righteousness. “He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.” (Proverbs 21:21)The merciful
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Mathew 5:7). The apostle Paul wrote, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). We are saved by God's mercy! Oh, how we need God's mercy! But Jesus taught that this mercy would be available for those citizens of the kingdom who, themselves, were merciful. This point was further emphasized as Jesus taught the multitudes how to pray. Jesus taught them, "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." (Matthew 6:12-15). Whether or not our sins will be forgiven depends on our willingness to forgive those who have sinned against us. Of course, since forgiveness is a fundamental concept of Christianity, this should not pose a problem for any Christian. But have you ever heard someone say, "I'll forgive what they did but I'll not forget it"? Is that how God forgives? The Bible teaches, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 8:11). Those who would be Christ-like will have that same forgiving spirit.The pure in heart
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Yes, those in God's kingdom are the pure in heart. The word heart is used to describe the chief organ of physical life; but it is also used to represent the seat of moral nature and spiritual life. It is for this reason the Bible teaches us to, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverb 4:23 ). Be very careful of the things you permit to influence your heart. Even subtle influences can change the course of ones life. If the pure in heart are the ones who will see God, what about the person who goes to a chat room to engage in sex talk, or who makes arrangements to meet someone to engage in fornication? Is the one who goes to those web sites which show women in immodest apparel or who reads material like the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue, or the other "girlie" magazines and soft or hard pornographic material, seeking first the kingdom of heaven in his life? When the apostle Paul taught, "Flee fornication. . ." (1 Corinthians 6:18), and "Flee also youthful lusts. . ." (2 Timothy 2:22), and then people engage in those very things, are their hearts pure?
The pure in heart are not only those whose hearts are free from evil purpose and desire but the expression also alludes to those whose hearts have been purified by faith (Acts 15:9) and obedience to the gospel (1 Peter 1:22).
The pure in heart shall see God.
The peacemakers
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). What else would a child of God be, if not a peacemaker? But the question is, a peacemaker between what parties? Let's just see what Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) had to say on this subject.
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-36).
The Prince of Peace did not come to send peace on earth? How then is He the Prince of Peace?
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1)
The Prince of Peace grants peace with God to all who are justified by faith. These are the ones who have obeyed the gospel of peace, thereby becoming members of the family of God. The sword that Jesus came to send is the word of God.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
The inspired apostle, Paul, wrote that a part of the armour that a Christian is to wear includes a sword. What did the Holy Spirit say that sword was?
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:13-17).
When one becomes a child of God by being justified by faith, he begins a peaceful relationship with God. This individual may have had to go against the religion of his own family; and when this causes strife, the Christian uses the sword of the word of God to instruct the unbelievers. Many times this results in the salvation of the entire family. But sadly, too many times this results in the disruption of the peace of that family because some are opposed to God.
Being justified by faith (Romans 5:1) involves being born again of water and of the Spirit (John 3:5). Before there can be faith, one must:
1. hear the gospel message, the word of God
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17).
2. believe that gospel message
"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).
3. confess Christ
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matt 10:32-33)
4. repent of sin
"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).
5. be baptized into Christ
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:3-4).
At this point, one is born again of the water and of the Spirit. This new Christian is then taught to be faithful unto death in order to receive the crown of eternal life (Revelation 2:10b). He thereby has become a peacemaker with God.
The persecuted for righteousness sake
"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).
This final statement indicates that the peacemakers will receive opposition. They who fight the battle for truth receive the kingdom of heaven. Paul instructed the young preacher, Timothy, to "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,. . ." (1 Tim 6:12).
The persecution may come in various ways. Some have actually been killed for the cause of Christ, others beaten. The most common form of persecution in the United States is that of reviling, or insulting. Many do not have the integrity of Christian character to stand fast and be faithful through the ridicule of others. It is more comfortable for some to fall in with the crowd than to stand for Christ. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim 3:12).
But what about you?
Have you entered the kingdom of heaven? We invite you to study the article on this site concerning: