By Kathy L. McFarland
The standards of the Lord Jesus Christ are our main focus of behavior on this earth and afterwards for eternity! If the Lord Jesus Christ is the one we follow, if He is our Lord, then we are to emulate His ways, will, and teachings. That is how we prove to Him that we love Him and respect Him and follow Him, regardless of the persecution that comes. Following the teachings of Christ with regards to the standards He performs, and the standards He expects of us, will lead to righteousness in our beings. And that is what we want!
Let us examine His teachings on the sermon atop the mountain to His disciples, and use our technique, statement of facts (SOF). Remember, the smaller the information becomes, the more easily relatable to other Scripture it is. That is why we do Statements of Fact (SOF) and Statements of Data (SOD) to ensure we bring God’s Word to easily understood bits and helps us connect later.
Matthew 5:1–12 (KJV 1900)
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Statement of Facts
1. The poor in spirit will be blessed by Christ and rewarded the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3)
2. The spirit is the inner part of a person that is called the soul. Poor means “humble.”
A Small Study on Humble
3. Let’s study a bit of Scripture that tells Christians how to be humble so we can understand deeply:
Colossians 2:18–23 (KJV 1900)
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Voluntary humility (humbleness) as spoken in Colossians 2:18 is NOT a good standard.
a. Voluntary humility means that you purposely make yourself appear humble.
b. Colossians 2:18 says that a man can beguile you of the reward due you if you have voluntary humility.
c. “Beguile” means to disqualify a reward.
d. If a pretend Christian shows “voluntary humbleness,” it is equal to worshipping the angels, and vainly puffed up in fleshly concerns. It is definitely NOT good!
To be pleasing to the LORD God and Lord Jesus Christ, you must display an honest INVOLUNTARY humility.
a. We know this because it is the exact opposite of voluntary humility.
b. Involuntary humbleness shows wisdom in worship and humility.
c. Involuntary humbleness neglects the body and does not satisfy the flesh.
d. It IS GOOD to have involuntary humbleness!
Now back to our Sermon on the Mount study (Here is the verse one more time):
Matthew 5:1–3 (KJV 1900)
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. The inheritors of the rewards given by Christ are blessed by them when they are INVOLUNTARILY HUMBLE! Every cell in their body worships and fears the LORD God; they cannot just appear humble; in truth, they are humble because of the greatness of their Lord and their God.
5. So, the first standard we have is Christians should know the LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ so intimately that they are truthfully, involuntarily humbled, as they worship God. It is those filled with involuntary humility that will inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Amen?
Matthew 5:4 (KJV 1900)
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
6. Those that grieve will be comforted by the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter, after Jesus ascends to Heaven.
John 14:15–18 (KJV 1900)
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
7. If a Christian is saddened, accepting the comfort of the Holy Spirit is the standard that Christ sets to enable the mourning Christian to resolve their grief.
8. To not accept the comfort of the Holy Spirit will likely cripple the Christian with sorrow.
9. Accepting the Holy Spirit comfort restores the Christian with blessing.
Matthew 5:5 (KJV 1900)
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
10. The meek will be blessed by inheriting the earth.
Teachings of Kathy L McFarland
Now let’s reason this together. Throughout the New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ, He tells us over and over that this earth does not belong to us as Christians. He wants us to separate from the world, right? And we know that there will one day be a New Heaven and a New Earth. Reasoning this through is clearly speaking of the New Earth. The meek will be blessed by inheriting the earth.
So, when does the Lord want meekness? Right now, as we inhabit this sinful old earth. It’s not about being angelic and holy towards the earth people today. Secular people are aggressive and loud and political and opinionated and violent. Christians should be apart from this world. Not boisterous and having their views known throughout the world. Meek. Gentle. Mild.
I taught you that I will never be famous and lead hundreds of thousands of people. How do I know? Because meekness will never get me fame. I stay as gentle and mild as I can, so I don’t lose the opportunity to teach those that God wants me to teach. Now, I am a strong Christian with the Power God dwelling within me and quite capable of defending myself, my family, and my Lord. But if I use that power and strength to gain the world’s attention, my days of teaching the Word of God to the Christians God has chosen is over. That is how I know I will NOT be famous on this earth.
And by the way, if you carry guns, knives, machetes aggressively, concealed or otherwise, you are not being meek. You are arming yourself to be powerful and overcome others. Yes, sometimes you must war, or defend your country, or your loved ones, and that is acceptable for righteousness’s sake. But posturing and attention-seeking with a weapon assumes you want power over others, and that is not being meek. You run the risk of losing your inheritance of the New Earth if you become too powerful on this one.
Another problem with meekness that Christians have is their dress. If women are showing their bosoms, and wearing tight clothes, that is not meek; it is attention-seeking. If men wear tight pants and buy expensive clothing to take pictures to show their wealth or good looks, that is attention-seeking also. If believers dance with holiness for the LORD God in worship inside a church setting, that can be meek, because it is done inside the church walls. But if that church opens its doors to invite the world within, and dance for entertainment’s sake with their dance moves emulating sex to possibly attract men or women, then that is attention-seeking.
I am meek as I do my job, I am promised by the Lord to inherit the New Earth. I will not have to be meek on the New Earth. I will live my life with my loved ones and do the ministry that the Lord directs with my full righteousness and personality. But today, I am meek, and do not gain the world’s attention. I will be blessed on the New Earth because I am going to inherit it. Does this make sense?
If the Lord has chosen a Christian for a specific work that requires him or her to gain the attention of the world, then whatever the Christian is equipped with should be used. There are times when the Lord does not want meekness to be defined with large works. However, in most cases, staying meek is the behavior that should be emulated in this world that does not belong to us.
One last thing. I was required to go out into the world to find YOU! He led me to do that. I couldn’t be meek and find you also. I was given direction by the Lord to enter the worldly Facebook and find the people God had chosen to bring closer to Him. That’s the way He wants it to work and that is the standards He has given us!
Matthew 5:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
11. Christ says that those that desire his teachings strongly, that have spiritual needs that cause a frantic searching for answers or a deep desire to know God, will be blessed.
12. This beatitude is for you my dear students! He saw that you were hungry and thirsty for the real Word of God and righteousness, and He provided your teacher and my staff, and your local director to help bring that teaching to you! You are blessed! You are being FILLED with new understanding and new learning of the Word of God which leads to righteousness.
13. Note how both the Greek words for hunger and thirst mean to “desire strongly.” This desire speaks of the spiritual needs that God can satisfy in Christians. Praise be to God!
Matthew 5:7 (KJV 1900)
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
14. Those that show compassion on the lowly, shall receive compassion from the Lord. It is what Christians do.
Hebrews 2:17–18 (KJV 1900)
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
15. The Lord Jesus Christ knows how to be merciful in all things pertaining to the LORD God.
16. It is the attribute of mercy and faithfulness of a high priest that makes reconciliation for the sins of the people.
17. Jesus will give mercy to us if He sees us giving mercy to those lower than us.
18. And let us not forget the most famous standards of mercy for the LORD God in the Lord’s Prayer!
Matthew 6:9–15 (KJV 1900)
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
19. Before forgiveness can be offered, mercy must be bestowed. The LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ are watching to see that Christ’s followers are compassionate, even when they don’t have to be! That is the basis for which their mercy is applied to each of us, and the extent that forgiveness of debts is given.
Matthew 5:8 (KJV 1900)
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
20. Another standard of Christ is to be “pure in heart.”
21. He declares them that have purity of heart as blessed because “they shall see God.”
22. Pure in heart means to be clean, ritually clear of responsibility, and innocent.
23. It is easy for baptized Christians to be clean and innocent of sin, because they are washed in the blood of the lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ.
24. But, consider the “ritually clear of responsibility.” That means that Christians no longer must sacrifice a lamb for their sins. Once they are clean, they are clean forever. Christ’s blood washes them completely, once and for all.
25. Christians that have pure heart, and they would not be Christians if they did not, WILL SEE GOD!
Matthew 5:9 (KJV 1900)
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
26. Christians make peace and reconcile differences when possible. They are never war-mongers, gossipers, trouble-makers, fighters, hypocrites or worldly rioters.
27. Children of the LORD God do not fight to force their belief or standards upon anyone on their own. If the LORD God is not directing the fight and sharing His mighty power with you to be victorious, then you must be at peace with everyone in your life.
28. Christians may have to separate from those of the world that seek to create harm through fighting if peace cannot be obtained. Jesus teaches us the rules of confrontation later in His Word which we will study soon.
Matthew 5:10–12 (KJV 1900)
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
29. Christians ARE ALWAYS persecuted for righteousness’ sake!
30. If you find a Christian in this world that has not been persecuted, then you have NOT found a Christian. It is a fact of life for Christians in this fallen, sinful world.
31. Jesus promises blessings to come to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
32. Those persecuted get to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven.
33. Even simple persecution, like when men revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely because Jesus is in your life; that type of persecution also brings blessings.
34. When even simple persecution comes to you, Rejoice! And be exceedingly glad! You will receive great reward in Heaven.
35. The Prophets of old were persecuted, and you will be persecuted also. This is the reality of following Christ.
Teachings of Kathy L McFarland
Check these Beatitudes out as a group! They all are about being a CHRISTIAN, a follower of Jesus Christ! So many times, Christian leaders teach the Beatitudes as very individual specific blessings for certain people that have hardships in life. But it is not that at all!
Jesus begins his teachings by talking of all the blessings EVERY Christian has by following Him! Thanks be to God! We are all the poor in spirit, mournful, and meek. All Christians hunger and thirst after righteousness, are merciful, and stay pure in heart. Christians are peacemakers. They experience persecution for righteousness’ sake! Do you understand?
The Beatitudes are the blessings that come to Christians and explain exactly the basic standards of following Jesus Christ. Every Christian reading the beatitudes is experiencing the conditions that bring the blessings forward!
No instruction of these standards of basic Christian blessings are needed. They come to the Christians as they accept their Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and are baptized with His Holy Spirit. These blessings are what Christians carry with them as a direct result of following the teachings of Christ.
Do you remember our study of Romans 12:1–3 (KJV 1900) in the first lesson of this course? It speaks about the reasonable service that all Christians do without expectation of rewards. Well, the Beatitudes are like “reasonable rewards” that come to all Christians. If you follow Christ, these rewards will come to you, always. These standards of following Christ are built into every Christian.
But wait! There is more! The Lord Jesus Christ is preparing to tell His Disciples on the mountaintop of new standards of His that His followers should do that do not come automatically to all Christians. That is in our next study, the Standards of the Lord Jesus Christ, Part 2!
