Garry concluded his series ‘Looking For Heroes’ tonight, which has been looking at the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. A hero is someone out of the ordinary, who deals with situations in ways others can’t and who are courageous or possess special abilities, but God is looking for heroes who will simply reflect His character. As the Kutless song Hero reflects, however, being a hero comes from the love God gives us which enables us to to ‘rise above the normal’, even when we are (in ourselves) weak and weary.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The poor in spirit are those who realise they have nothing of worth in themselves but need God, who understand that God has everything of value that we need and who reach out to God for all they need.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mourning involves not just grief when we lose loved ones, but understanding that the world is not now as it was meant to be, for we have lost our fellowship with God through sin and we long to have that relationship restored. Matt 23:37 reminds us that God can restore our relationship with Him, comfort us and give us joy.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
The world does not value meekness, equating it with weakness, but the word itself implies the taming of a wild stallion, someone who has been harnessed and brought under control. Meekness is the opposite of self-will, like an ointment that soothes wounds or gentle words which are well chosen. We need humility towards God and gentleness towards people, courage that is brought under control and is coupled with kindness.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
We need a deep and earnest desire for righteousness, even when we might find ourselves personally disadvantaged if we do the right thing.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
We all need to receive mercy and therefore we must all show mercy as well. Mercy is a reflection of God’s character, for He helps those who do not deserve to be helped. God’s chesed enables us to climb into someone else’s skin and relate to their situations and feelings; it is love without conditions, forgiveness that is offered to all freely.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
In ourselves, we are not clean or pure at all (Prov 20:9, Rom 3:23), but God makes purity possible for all, since He purifies our hearts. (Heb 12:1, 2 Tim 2:22)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
God seeks peace and making peace is important. Rom 12:18 urges us to live at peace with people as far as it is possible for us to do so. No personal price is too high (think of the sacrifices made by those helping the Jews in the Second World War, for example.) God gave His everything to make peace and expects us to do the same.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We will be persecuted when we live for Christ (Matt 24:9), for we are living in such a way that our values are different to the worlds. If we show these characteristics, however, we will be heroes, standing up for God’s values in the world.
Jesus said we are the salt and light of the world. We have a new nature; all God wants us to do is to live it. Be different. Don’t act like the world, but act as children of God. Then, when people ask us why we are behaving like this, we can witness to that divine nature within us. (see 1 Pet 3:15-16)
Kutless sing ‘You could be a hero.’ The question is, though: will we be a hero? The choice is ours.