[Matthew 5:1-12]
“5:1 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….”
Those words were taken from the Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew, the 5th chapter, and the first 12 verses—the greatest sermon that’s ever been preached in any age of the world. In its profundity, in its simplicity, in its majestic sweep, in its practical bearing upon life, it stands unapproached by anything that man has ever written or anything that man has ever spoken. And if the world should be standing ten thousand years from tonight, man will never write anything or speak anything comparable to the Sermon on the Mount.
I wonder if you observed the rewards that were offered as we read these verses. In every verse that we read, there was a reward attached to it. For instance, when Christ said, “Blessed are poor in spirit,” what’s the reward? “…theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are they that mourn”—what’s the reward? “…they shall be comforted.” “Blessed are the merciful”—what’s the reward? “They shall obtain mercy.” “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness”—what’s the reward? “…they shall be filled.” “Blessed are the pure in heart”—what’s the reward? “…they shall see God.” “Blessed are the peacemakers”—what’s the reward? “…they shall be called the children of God.” “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”—what’s the reward? The same as the first one—“…theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
If these were the only rewards offered in the Bible, these would be enough to encourage every person to want to live the Christian life. But these are not the only rewards offered in the Bible. These were taken from the first book in the New Testament. But then, when we turn to the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, to every church that John wrote there was a reward offered to those who were found faithful.
For instance, when he wrote to the church at Ephesus, he said, “To him that overcometh will I [Jesus] give to eat of the tree of life” [Revelation 2:7]. What a reward, to sit down under the tree of life for all eternity.
When he wrote to the church at Smyrna, he said that those who are found faithful “shall not be hurt with[of] the second death” [Revelation 2:11].
When he wrote to the church at Pergamos, he said, “To him that overcometh will I [Jesus] give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it” [Revelation 2:17].
When he wrote to the church at Thyatira, he said, “To him that overcometh and remaineth faithful unto the end, the same shall be given power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I [Jesus] received of My Father. 28 And I [Jesus] will give him the morning star” [Revelation 2:26-28].
When he wrote to the church at Sardis—to me, this is one of the most beautiful rewards offered anywhere in the entire Bible. When he wrote to the church at Sardis, he said, “He that overcometh (and remaineth faithful), the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I [Jesus] will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I [Jesus] will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels” [Revelation 3:5]. You think of Jesus Christ taking you by the hand and leading you to that glorious land, to the throne of God, and then calling all the angels of heaven and hear your name confessed before God and before those angels. What a reward! But it says that it is offered to those who are found faithful.
When he wrote to the church at Philadelphia, he said, “Him that overcometh will I [Jesus] make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the Name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My New Name” [Revelation 3:12].
When he wrote to the church at Laodicea, he said, “To him that overcometh [and remaineth faithful] will I [Jesus] grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne” [Revelation 3:21].
All these rewards are offered to encourage us to live the faithful Christian life. But the question is: How will these rewards be given? And, to whom will these rewards be given?
If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn and read a verse with me. In 2 Peter, the 1st chapter, and verse 4, Peter said, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
I want you to notice the word “nature” in this verse… “Whereby are given unto us great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine NATURE….” The “divine nature” here does not mean that we become deity, that is, that we become omnipotent or omniscient or omnipresent. But these are moral attributes, such as goodness, kindness, morality, honesty, sincerity. And Peter said we become “partakers of the divine nature” of Christ that we may be able to escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
There isn’t any person that’s strong enough, smart enough or wise enough to overcome the trials, the tribulations and the temptations of this life without becoming a partaker of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. And Peter said we partake of this divine nature so that we’re able to ESCAPE the corruption that’s in the world.
“Nature” is a powerful thing. For instance, when one becomes a partaker of the nature of Christ, he acts like Christ, thinks like Christ, talks like Christ and lives like Christ. When one becomes a partaker of the nature of Satan, he acts like Satan, talks like Satan, thinks like Satan and lives like Satan because he has become a partaker of the nature of Satan.
“Nature” is a powerful thing! Nature controls just about everything, even the lower animal kingdom of the world. It controls behavior; it controls appetite. For instance: Vultures feed on things that are decayed; the hummingbird eats nectar from the flowers. Now a question: Why does the hummingbird eat nectar from the flowers? That’s the nature of a hummingbird to do that. Why does the vulture feed on things that are decayed? That’s the nature of the vulture to do that. Each one is being controlled by nature.
Nature controls behavior. For instance: Birds fly high in the sky. Fish swim. Question: Why do fish swim? That’s the nature of a fish to be in the water. It’s the nature of the bird to fly. Each one is being controlled by nature.
Nature controls association. For instance: Sheep go in flocks. Ants go in colonies. Well, why do sheep go in flocks? Because that’s the nature of sheep to do that. Why do ants go in colonies? That’s the nature of ants to do that. Why do fish swim in schools? That’s the nature of fish to do that. Each one is being governed and controlled by nature!
And nature controls you, and it controls me! If we, as I have stated, have become partakers of the nature of Christ, then we act like Christ. If we become the partakers of the nature of Satan, then we act like Satan. Everyone is controlled by nature.
But the question is: For those who are found faithful, HOW will these rewards be given? Well, number one, they’ll be given to those who can identify with the works of Jesus. In John, the 9th chapter, and verse 4, Jesus Christ said, “…the night cometh, when no man can work.” Everyone needs to realize that there’s coming a time, for instance, when you cannot attend a service like this. There’s coming a time when you cannot invite people to a Gospel meeting. There’s coming a time when you cannot visit the sick. There’s coming a time when you cannot do these good deeds. Jesus Christ realized that. So He said, “I must work…while it is day…”—that is, “while I have the opportunity.” Why? Because the time is coming when I’ll not have the opportunities to do these things that I have in my lifetime. And that’s true with all of us.
In John, the 4th chapter, and verse 34, Jesus Christ said, “My meat is to do the Will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” And even at the tender age of twelve, when Jesus Christ was in Jerusalem with his parents—after they had fulfilled their duties there, they were returning home and traveled for a day’s journey. And when the evening shadows begin to lengthen, Mary observed that her son was not in their presence. And she did as most religious people do when they start looking for Jesus. She no doubt went first to her immediate family. He wasn’t there. And then she went to here relatives. He wasn’t there. Then she went to her friends and neighbors. He wasn’t there. And then she went back to Jerusalem and found Him where she had left Him. And if you remember, she said, “…why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing” [Luke 2:48]. And Jesus, at the tender age of twelve, said, “…know ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” [Luke 2:49].
And that is the duty and the obligation of every member of the Lord’s church. I’ve been preaching for a long time, and I’ve dealt with a lot of people. But I’ve learned one thing in life: Until a member of the church feels the imperative call of duty, he’ll never be worth a thing on God’s earth to the advancement of the cause of Christ! Jesus Christ felt the imperative…call…of duty. And so, many members in the Lord’s church today seemingly feel no responsibility concerning the activities of the Lord’s church.
So many churches today are like the church in Laodicea. And as far as I know, they didn’t have drunks in that church as far as the Bible reveals. They didn’t have any adulterers in that church as far as the Bible reveals. But they had a terrible sin among them, and that was the sin of indifference. And Jesus Christ said, “Because you are neither cold nor hot, I will spew[vomit] thee out of My mouth” [Revelation 3:16]. So these people at Laodicea, they were not cold, but they were not hot. They did not oppose the Gospel. Neither did they defend the Gospel. They were not working any mischief. Neither were they doing any great good. They were just simply content to go on as “status quo,” aiming at nothing and doing nothing. They knew they stood well with the world, and they convinced themselves [that] they stood well with God. And Carlisle calls this “the hypocrisy that does not know itself to be hypocritical.” And we have so much indifference in the average congregation of God’s people today.
And you need not raise your hand, but let me ask you seriously, “Do you really and truly believe that you identify with the works of Jesus Christ?” And no one can become a partaker of the divine nature without identifying with His works; that is, without feeling the urgent call of duty, the imperative call, to be active in the Lord’s word! And you think what every congregation could do where the members were real active in serving God; but so many are so unconcerned, so indifferent. They’re not drunkards; their not adulterers; they don’t lie; they don’t steal; they don’t cheat. They’re just simply indifferent, aiming at nothing and doing nothing. So, we must be able to identify with the works of Jesus to become partakers of the divine nature of Jesus Christ.
And then, to identify with the nature of Jesus Christ, I must identify with the Spirit of Jesus. In Romans, the 8th chapter, and verse 9, Paul said, “…if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” That’s a powerful statement. “…if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” So that simply means that if I identify with the nature of Jesus Christ, I’m going to have to manifest the Spirit of Christ.
But the question is, “What IS the Spirit of Christ?” Well, as a child of God, I should study the New Testament and learn what the Spirit of Christ is.
So, when I study the Bible, I learn that Jesus Christ is referred to as a “lamb.” In Isaiah, the 53rd chapter, in Acts, the 8th chapter, Christ is referred to as a “lamb”; that is, He manifested the Spirit of a lamb. For me to be a faithful child of God, I must manifest the spirit of a lamb.
But in Revelation 5 and [verse] 5, He’s referred to as a “Lion,” “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” So that means, then, to manifest the spirit of Christ, I’m going to have to act like a lion. So, at times I’m to be like a lamb; at times I’m to be like a lion.
Now, the question is, “When am I, as a Christian, to act like a lamb?” And listen to me carefully. When people attack me personally, physically or verbally, then I’m to manifest the spirit of a lamb. And you can begin with the 1st chapter in Matthew, and you can read through the last chapter of Revelation, and you cannot find where anybody on any occasion under any circumstances [reads] where Christ ever retaliated toward those who mistreated Him! So, we cannot do that. God said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” [Romans 12:19]. Do I believe in vengeance? I certainly do! But I can’t take it! And if it was left from a human standpoint, yes, I would like to take it! But God said, “You can’t do that! Vengeance belongs to Me!” “I will repay, saith the Lord.” David believed in vengeance, and he prayed to God. He said, “O God, to Whom vengeance belongeth, take vengeance upon them” [Psalm 94:1-2: “O LORD God, to Whom vengeance belongs — O God, to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud.”]. David prayed that God would take vengeance upon his enemies, but David knew that he could not himself take vengeance upon those people. And that’s a great lesson we need to learn in the Lord’s church, that we can…not…take…vengeance upon other people.
A few months ago, I was preaching someplace over here in Alabama. I was talking along these lines. And some lady—and she looked like she was a very intelligent lady—she came to me after the service, and she said, “Brother Black, you’re talking about praying for your enemies?”
“Why,” I said, “yes, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
Well, she said, “I don’t pray for mine.” She says, “I want something bad to happen to them.”
I said, “You shouldn’t feel that way about anybody.”
Well, she said, “I do.”
But I said, “You can’t do that and be a Christian!”
Sure, I believe in vengeance, but God said, “Vengeance belongeth to Me.” I can’t take it! And if somebody mistreats me, there’s that personal instinct, possibly, to want to retaliate. But God said you can’t do that! “Vengeance belongs to Me. I…will…repay, saith the Lord!”
And if an individual mistreats me physically or verbally, unless that man repents, God’s going to take vengeance on that individual! Now, we need to realize that, and the church would be so much better off today if we’d let vengeance remain in the hands of the Almighty God instead of trying to take it ourselves. And we need to learn that.
Well, when did Jesus Christ act like a Lion? When they attacked what He taught! And I want you to listen to me carefully. If I’m not exceedingly careful, you know what I will do? I will completely reverse that order! If you want to see me act like a lion, then say something about me personally. Then I can come out like a roaring lion, attacking you and charging you and making accusations against you, and try to show the world that you’re worse than I am!
Then, you want to see me act like a little lamb? Just say whatever you want to about the Lord’s church. Say whatever you want to about baptism. Say whatever you want to about the Lord’s Supper. And what do I do? I act like a little lamb. I don’t open my mouth. I have completely reversed the order of the teachings of Jesus Christ!
So, we need to learn that in living the Christian life that vengeance belongs to God. We cannot personally retaliate. And we also must remember that we must stand up for the Truths of God. We must manifest the Spirit of Christ.
And then, to become a partaker of the nature of Christ, we must identify with the example that He set. In 1 Peter 2:21, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps….” I have an idea that just about everybody here—most people—have had children, possibly in school—maybe in kindergarten or the first grade. And that teacher has given that child some homework. She’s copied some perfect letters at the top of the page. We’ll say there are twenty-one lines on this page, and that child’s homework is to copy those letters. We would think on the surface that the best letters that child copied would be on line twenty-one, because the child had copied the letters twenty times, because we’ve heard all our life that “practice makes perfect.” That’s just something we’ve heard. How in the world could “practice make perfect” if you’re practicing something that’s imperfect?! That could never bring about perfection. The chances are [that] the worst letters the child would make would be on line twenty-one. Why? Because the child got so far away from the [perfect] example. Instead of looking back to the example, the child would most likely look at line twenty when the child was copying line twenty-one.
And you know the basic trouble with the average person trying to live the Christian life? He gets separated from Jesus Christ. And if you don’t remember anything else I say tonight, remember this: The closer one stays to Jesus Christ, the easier it is to live the Christina life. I really think it’s an ordeal for some people to attend service on Sunday night or Wednesday night. I really do. I think it’s a terrible ordeal for them to! Why? Because they’re getting separated from Jesus Christ.
Do you remember when they came to arrest Jesus, and Peter was standing by His side? And they were going to take Jesus? As we would say today, Peter was saying, “You’ll take Him over my dead body.” And so, he drew his sword—I think he meant to cut the man’s head off, but evidently the man dodged, and he cut his ear off. Let me ask you, “Would Peter have denied Jesus there?” No—a thousand times, No. But just a few hours later—not days, not weeks, not months—just a few hours later, the same man who was willing to die for Jesus Christ is out here denying Him! Three times he denied Him—“I don’t know who the man is!”He possibly said, “I never saw the man before! I just happened to be here! I don’t even know what’s taking place in there!” And then Peter heard that cock crow. You remember what Jesus said. [Luke 22:61-62: “61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the Word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”]
Let me ask you this: Suppose Peter had followed Jesus into Pilate’s judgment hall, and when they’re questioning Jesus, Peter is standing there by His side. Do you believe he would have denied Him? No—a thousand times, No, he would never have denied Him, not standing there by Him. But he got separated from Jesus. And let me tell you something, my friends. When we get separated from Jesus Christ, we can…not…live…the Christian life! The closer we stay to Jesus, the easier it is to live the Christian life.
And then, in the conclusion, why is this reward great? Christ said, “…GREAT is your reward in heaven” [Matthew 5:12].
It’s a great reward because it is a reward of understanding. You know, there are so many things in this life that we don’t understand. There are so many things that are happening in the Lord’s church today that we can’t understand. We wonder why they happen. We wonder why an individual acted like he did, why he said so and so.
Some years ago I was preaching in a Gospel meeting. They were having a morning service. And after the service, a man about forty years old and his wife were standing there. He had a child in his arms that looked to be about four or five years old. And in the conversation, he said, “The doctors told us that our child will never reason, will never know right from wrong, will never be able to talk.” And then he asked, “Why did this happen to us?” He said, “There are people in this community that deny God; they’re unfaithful; they’re ungodly; they’re drunks; they’re alcoholics.” He said, “Their children are normal. Why’d this happen to me?”
I don’t know. There are so many things in this life we don’t know. You know, we sing that song, “Farther along, we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why.” In heaven, we’ll have a perfect understanding of ALL the things we couldn’t understand down here. Up there, we’ll have a beautiful understanding of EVERYTHING that we couldn’t understand down here.
And it’s also a great reward because it is an eternal reward. You know, several years ago—some of the older people here can remember—there was a program on the radio called “Queen for a Day.” They would select some lady in some community that had done so many outstanding works. They would bring her to New York or to Los Angeles, and they would treat her for twenty-four hours as if she were a queen. But this reward in heaven is not just twenty-four hours. It’s for eternity. And eternity is forever and ever.
And you could think of an individual going to the equator, mounting a chariot of clouds drawn by horses of lightning. This individual could girdle the earth thousands of times and girdle all the universe thousands of times; he could drive those horses until the axels of his chariot were ground to dust, his horses fell through exhaustion and his bones were lost in some lonesome valley where not even an angel of God could ever find him…but he would not have found the end of eternity. Heaven is a place of eternity.
And then, it’s a great reward because it’s a beautiful reward. I’ve seen many beautiful things in my preaching life. I’ve traveled the countries. I’ve been across the snowy range of Wyoming that looked like a bride adorned for her husband. I’ve been through the Smoky Mountains where it looked like nature bowed and kissed the brow of beauty. I’ve been through Carlsbad Caverns and looked upon things that would defy the tongue of any orator. I’ve stood on top of old Pikes Peak and looked down the landscaping of the handiwork of God. But I’ve never seen anything comparable to the beauties of heaven.
I’ve been flying across the ocean and seen the sun seemingly go down into the ocean. I’ve seen a sun that seemed to come up out of the ocean. I’ve flown across the snowy Alps, but I’ve never seen anything comparable to the beauties of heaven.
All these things are included in the statement that Christ made when He said, “GREAT is your reward in heaven.” And it’s that great reward that Christ offers that gives us the most glorious hope that any man could ever have in this life. That glorious hope is this—that though our bodies may be dead for centuries, though the cactus of South America or the rose of North America may bloom over our graves, though the chilly winds of the north may sheath our tombstones in eternal ice, though the encroachment of the desert may bury our bodies in the dust of the earth, though the plowboy may dance and sing over our long-lost grave, though the wings of the wind may fan the dust of our bodies to all parts of the world, one day the mighty trump of God shall sound, and we shall hear, and we shall come forth and receive that reward that Christ spoke of when He said, “…great is your reward in heaven.”
And as we sing the invitation song tonight, I want to ask you: If you should die as you are now, do you believe that you would receive that great reward that Christ spoke of when He talked about those who remain faithful unto Him?
If you’re subject to the invitation in any way, we invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.