Who Heaven is For

Posted on February 12, 2023

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Who Heaven is For

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Psalm 119:1-8

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:3-12

Last weekend I spent a lot of time driving. Twenty hours of driving to be exact. I find it important to be productive while I am driving. It’s easy to just sit and drive without a thought or care in the world other than the road in front of you. However, we could work out so many problems in life with just a simple drive. During my drive I listened to several sermons and did a lot of thinking and meditating on the truth of God’s Word. There are moments in life in which our mortality comes to the forefront of our minds. We can often ask ourselves whether we are good enough to make it into heaven or even before the Lord. Even if we call ourselves Christians, I think we can often ask ourselves if we really are Christians. What is it really that makes us a Christian? Do I act like a Christian, or do I talk like a Christian? It is at these times that I think we seem to have some vision in our minds of what a “good” Christian ought to be and if we are really honest with ourselves, we tend to miss the mark of our personal definition of what a Christian ought to be. There for this begs the question, am I really a Christian? If I miss the mark then how will I ever enter heaven. How can I ever then be good enough to enter His Kingdom. However, you see that is the whole problem. That we believe that we have to be good enough to be a true Christian.

When Jesus began to preach, he challenged the status quo when it comes to righteousness and inheriting the kingdom of God. Some believed that if they keep all the commandments given by Moses then they will be free and clear. Others believed that simply their position or their nationality is what granted them access to the kingdom. However, in all cases it was believed that it was one’s actions or works that would grant or deny them entrance into heaven’s glory. Then Jesus comes along and tips these beliefs upside down and explains that there is absolutely nothing that any of us can do to earn their way into the kingdom of God. This then is where he begins to tell us then who the kingdom of God belongs to.

Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus says that those who are poor in spirit will be blessed with entrance into heaven as their inheritance. Some will read this and say that they must give up all of their money and wealth and live in poverty as they believe that Jesus was talking about physical money. However, if Jesus was saying that then he would have said blessed are those who are living in poverty. Jesus does not say that though. He says blessed are the poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit is beyond the physical. It is to realize you are bankrupt spiritually. To understand that there is nothing that you can possibly do on your own to be righteous enough to gain entrance into the kingdom. It is to have complete dependence on Jesus as the one who makes us righteous. It is not the one who is proud and feels that they are perfect under the law who may enter the kingdom. It is the one who humbles themself to accept that they are bankrupt.

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” There is this connotation I think about being Christian that we should be happy all the time because life should be good after giving your life to Christ and if it’s not then this must mean that you really haven’t given your life fully to Christ and are not really a Christian since bad things happen to you. But Jesus tells us here that heaven is for those who experience hardships and pain. It is for those who experience loss of loved ones, loss of money or wealth. Life is going to be difficult whether you are a Christ follower or not. It is part of life in this world because of sin. However, Jesus tells us to fear not in the world of trouble because he has overcome the world. If life is not going your way and if it seems like it is getting harder, and very well may, then take heart for you are blessed to be comforted by the Lord when you enter his kingdom.

Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.” No matter what profession we are in, absolute power inevitably corrupts. Even in ministry, there are many ministers or leaders who gain so much popularity that they may become proud and corrupted themselves. Even Paul speaks to the Corinthians about this in that they should not view one teacher higher or better than they other for they are all servants of the Lord. Paul was of high esteem even as a Pharisee and yet he chose to be a servant and see himself lower than all others. Those who choose to serve when they are in authority rather than bask in their prestige will find much more blessing in their inheritance. Moses talked about this inheritance in our passage from Deuteronomy for those who will be meek and follow the Lord’s commands and not forsake the Lord, will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Do you know what it means to be hungry? I am not talking about the hunger you feel in the morning when you wake up to make your breakfast. Nor am I talking about the hunger you feel that tells you when it is time to eat lunch or dinner. I am talking about experiencing real hunger to the point that you don’t know when or if you will have your next meal. It is about desiring so much for that emptiness to be filled. Now take this feeling put it into the context of being spiritually empty. So empty to the point that you will do anything to satisfy and fill the void of emptiness. Jesus tells us that if we are spiritually hungry and if we truly seek out his word and his righteousness then our hunger will be satisfied and we will be filled. It is a promise and a blessing from God.

Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” In this life there are going to be people who harm us and upset us. That does not change when we become a Christian. There going to be people who are nasty to us just for the sake of us being a Christian. Then there are those who will hurt us because of the fact that they themselves are hurting and this is the way in which they cope with their pain. We must remember though that we have been forgiven of so much so how can we not forgive others. When we express mercy and grace towards someone who has wronged us even though they do not deserve to have us do so, we are opening up blessing for ourselves and we will experience true mercy for our own souls. Plus, you never know that the one whom we show mercy to may reciprocate by showing mercy to others and maybe even seek righteousness for themselves.

Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the Pure in heart, for they will see God.” David was described as a man after God’s own heart. This did not mean that he was perfect and without sin. However, with everything that he was, he sought after God and to please God. Jesus is looking for more than just obedience to the law. It is great if you don’t lie, steal, or murder. However, what good is it to keep the commands just for the sake of following the rules. However, if our heart is pure in that it seeks to please the Lord then following the rules would be a given. Those who seek the Lord with their heart will see the Lord in all His glory.

Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” We live in a world that creates and encourages bitterness and strife. How can one ever expect to be a part of the kingdom if they are living as a part of this hatred. Therefore, those who seek to make peace instead of more bitterness are called the Children of God. However, again it is impossible to do so all on our own. It is unnatural to seek peace while our sinful nature bids us to seek more strife and anger. But if we seek out righteousness with a hunger for it and seek out to know Christ, then he shall equip us to make peace when others would make separation and war.

Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Verses 10 and 11 both speak about persecution. Not everyone who heard Jesus’ teachings welcomed him. For many they were hard words to hear. That is why Jesus would say, “He who has ears to hear, let him listen.” Not everyone who was capable of hearing physically had a will and desire to listen. As a result, Jesus’ message was persecuted by many and all of his apostles faced persecution after him. If you are not being persecuted by Satan for your faith then one must wonder if they are truly following Christ’s word. But we are not to fear our persecution for greater will be our reward in heaven just as when they persecuted the prophets of old. We are privileged in this country not to face the persecution that many face in other places around the world. However, the days are coming and are here that his is changing as more fight for the right to murder children and more fight for the right to imprison Christian leaders and business owners for not accepting certain sins as the new cultural norm.

The first beatitude sums up pretty much all of the beatitudes. Not one of us is capable of being or acting as a Christian on our own will and actions. We will never be perfect enough to reach such perfection into the kingdom of God. It is when we understand this truth and allow ourselves to be empty of ourselves and allow Jesus to do this work for us that we may call ourselves Christians. To be completely poor and bankrupt in Spirit is to be made perfect in light as we accept that Jesus paid the price for our sins that we could never pay ourselves and still enter into glory. If you wonder whether or not you are a Christian and fear about what you must do to truly be so, stop worrying about such things for there is nothing you can do in this life to earn your way to the kingdom. Jesus has already earned a place for you if you surrender your fears, pain, and future to him. We are true Christians not by our own doing but by Jesus’ doing. Accept this truth and live in peace for all the days of your life even when it seems that there is no peace.