Rejoice, you who are blessed in Christ!

 

Sermon for All Saints, November 7, 2021

Grace to you and peace from Him who is, who was, and who is coming.  Amen.

Matthew 5:1–12  When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up onto a mountain.  When he sat down, his disciples came to him.  ²He opened his mouth and began to teach them.  He said these things: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.  ⁵Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.  ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.  ⁷Blessed are the merciful, because they will receive mercy.  ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.  ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.  ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.  In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (EHV)

Rejoice, you who are blessed in Christ!

Dear children of God,

            In our worship this morning, we remember the saints who have gone before us.  A certain portion of our world might incorrectly assume this to be a form of ancestor worship, or a veneration of those who earned greater status in our eyes, or perhaps even in God’s eyes.

Another part of our world might consider remembering the saints as utter foolishness and a waste of time.  For them, death is the greatest enemy and the strongest fear, so every death causes interminable grief.  Therefore, why would anyone want to think about that part of the past?

For Christians, on the other hand, the death of saints—those who have been counted righteous through faith in Christ—holds something far different.  Yes, we mourn the loss of fellow family members and friends just as anyone else might.  Yet, we “do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)  For us, physical death is no longer a tragedy, nor is it the end.  Because Christ Jesus has granted us resurrection to eternal life, we remember those believing ones who have fallen asleep in Jesus while holding to the truth that you may Rejoice, you who are blessed in Christ!

In the beginning words of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, there is a progression that is important to understand in order to comprehend what Jesus is saying.  So much of the world looks at these opening statements as a sort of balancing act for how to be saved.  You do this, and this is what you get.  Others view it as an instruction manual to be obeyed as another set of commands.  Those ideas miss the fact that Jesus is describing our lives as His followers.

To know what Jesus is saying, understand that the Christian is blessed through faith in Christ Jesus.  Nothing on this earth can take away that blessing.  By inspiration of the Holy Spirit St. Paul wrote, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Jesus began this list by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  This is the first step in the Lord bringing the sinner to faith.  It goes along with the next part, of course, but the poor in spirit are those who know they have nothing to offer to the Lord except their sin and guilt.  They plead no good works, or heroic faith, but only a lack of personal righteousness.  This desperate poverty then looks to the Lord for mercy, and mercy is given.  To the Ephesians Paul wrote, “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus continues His explanation of the Christian life saying, “Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.”  The Christian mourns his sin.  It grieves us that we fail to live according to the way that brings glory to our God and Savior, but we are comforted by the forgiveness won for us by God’s Son.  At the same time, we mourn when death comes to our loved ones, because we know it is the curse of sin that brings this separation.  Yet, we are comforted because we know Christ has changed the death of the believer from punishment to an entrance into His glory.  By His life and death, Jesus threw open the gates of heaven to all who believe in Him.  We are comforted knowing that though there is nothing good in us, Jesus has done everything needed to give us forgiveness, life, and hope.

The third way we are blessed is how faith changes our lives here on earth.  Though we still struggle daily with our sinful nature, as the Spirit works faith in us, He also works sanctification in us which leads us to a more kindly way of dealing with those around us.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.”  Some translations say, “Blessed are the meek,” but that word, today, leads people to think the believer is unable to offer resistance to the enemy, but the word here implies not weakness but a gentle kindness and strength born of the kindness shown to us in Jesus.  As John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  To love is to serve and put others needs ahead of our own.  The psalmist equates this blessed meekness with “those who hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 37:9-11)  Furthermore, our inheritance is not in this world but in the new heaven and new earth the Lord will bring for His children.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.”  Spirit given faith drives us to desire that which is good and pleasing to our God.  Not only do we become more and more desirous of doing God’s will, we more and more seek that righteousness that comes only through faith in Jesus, and the Lord fills us with His holiness as He gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  He also moves us to be eager to hear and learn His Word as food for the soul.

“Blessed are the merciful, because they will receive mercy.”  Only those are truly merciful who can forgive because God has forgiven us.  Mercy seeks nothing in return.  It is pure gift granted from one who is rich in the forgiveness our Lord has provided us.  We know the Father has forgiven us for Jesus’ sake.  Trusting in that mercy, we will gladly forgive, just as Jesus instructed us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:4)

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.”  Looking forward to what Jesus would do for sinners like you and me, the Lord declared through the prophet, Ezekiel, “I will sprinkle purifying water on you, and you will be clean.  I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your filthy idols.  Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you.” (Ezekiel 36:25-26)  Once, we were enemies of God and sinners without any merit or worthiness to stand in His presence, but now, we are blessed because God chose to send a Savior and chose you and me to be purified through the hearing of the gospel and the washing of Baptism.  All of which is given to us because of God’s unmerited mercy, grace, and love for people who sinned against Him.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.”  This is what we are as believers in Jesus.  God the Father has adopted us as His own dear children, and He calls us to spread that saving gospel both near and far so that many more will learn of the peace we have been given through Jesus.  By shedding His blood on a cross on our behalf, Jesus set us free from the devil’s rebellion, and He made us priests to intercede on behalf of others with our prayers and with our service.  We are granted an inheritance of peace that we can share with all who will believe.

The last two blessings are sometimes the most difficult to understand.  Jesus tells His people, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”  Persecution, insults, and slander because of our faith in Jesus all seem like very bad things, so how could anyone be blessed by them?  We find the answer as we remember the reaction of the disciples in the days after the Holy Spirit commissioned them on Pentecost.  Even when those apostles were threatened with death, jailed, and severely whipped and beaten by the enemies, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer shame for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)  They remembered that the world rejects God’s messengers because it rejects God.  They understood that, through faith, we are connected with Christ Jesus, and with Him, we have a home in heaven and peace with our Creator.

As Jesus teaches us what it means to be a Christian believer, He also tells us, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.  In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  The unbelievers stuck under Satan’s control have always hated those who trust in God.  This was the case as far back as Cain and Abel.  Light and darkness never go together.  Likewise, believers and unbelievers can never have true peace with each other in that state. 

So, what does all this have to do with our remembrance of those saints who left this world before us?  We rejoice that their reward in heaven is great because of what Jesus has done for them and for us.  We rejoice because they are now enjoying that perfect peace with God and the glory of His presence while dressed in the righteousness of Christ.  We rejoice and are exceeding glad that this will never change.  Furthermore, we know by faith that this is what Jesus has in store for us.  Through faith in Him, we are granted forgiveness, eternal life, the glory of Christ’s righteousness, a home in heaven, and a sure hope while here on earth to bear us up under any trouble, persecution, sorrow, or pain we might have to endure until Jesus returns to carry us home.

We rejoice and are exceeding glad for those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, who have departed this life for heaven, because for them and for us, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) 

Therefore, dear friends, Rejoice, you who are blessed in Christ!  Amen.

The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints.  Amen.