“The Foundation: Blessing Defined”
Series Title: #Blessed
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 03/08/26 (2nd Sunday Message)
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{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}
{Message start:}
Message Title:
“The Foundation: Blessing Defined"
We’re going to do something a little different today.
We are talking about one of the greatest sermons from the greatest.
When Jesus started his ministry…
he started heavily.
He had been traveling, teaching, sharing the good news, healing others… People began to hear about him and would come so they could see him.
One time when he saw all the people…
he sat them down and gave the Sermon on the Mount.
we’re going to spend this month talking about a portion of it.
Matthew 5:3-11
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This is what’s called the Beattitudes.
Jesus sat them down and immediately started talking about being blessed.
Before we get to the details of it…we have to talk about being blessed.
There Are Two Types of Blessings:
Earthly Blessings and Spiritual Blessings
Earthly Blessings deal with earthly things. the outer man.
They can be material Blessings
finances
provision - (providing what’s needed)
- things we benefit from HERE - on earth
For example, even with Abram:
Genesis 12:1-3
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
This is the promise…
Abram follow my lead.
you will be blessed.
Abram IS shown to be blessed later
Genesis 13:2
2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
This goes with the blessing the Lord promised earlier. blessings in material things.
Proverbs 10:22
22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
This isn’t all about material blessings…but definitely covers it. The Lord talks about it in Deuteronomy also.
Deuteronomy 7:12-14a
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people…
These are Earthy Blessings.
Spiritual Blessings deal with things on the inside Because both are needed.
Everything isn’t fixed by earthly means.
a person may feel bad, down and depressed Earthy blessings aren’t the best help for a spiritual need.
You Can Have All The Money And Things In The World And Still Not Have Peace!
But the Lord gives spiritual blessings.
Ephesians 1:3
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
If there is a need for something…
there is a God who gives EVERY spiritual blessing.
He fulfills every spiritual need. There are many of them.
-
Salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)
-
Forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7-8)
-
Spiritual Gifts (1 Peter 4:10)
-
Peace Through Him (Romans 5:1)
Each of these could easily be an entire series. some we will cover later this year.
But what we have to realize is that these blessings come with a requirement.
The Lord’s Blessings Follow The Posture Of The Heart
He said it to Abram…
leave what you have.
go to the place I WILL show you. and I WILL bless you.
How you respond when the Lord calls you determines how you get blessed. which takes us back to what Jesus said.
Let’s read just the first two of the Beatitudes for today.
Matthew 5:3-4
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Let’s look at the first one.
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
Jesus says that the poor in spirit are blessed.
many times we see “poor” and think money.
this type of poor doesn’t mean - low in finances or money.
This is how they view themselves. Poor in spirit - low in spirit.
It is the opposite of self-confidence. It is the opposite of self-reliance
Being Poor In Spirit Means Laying Down Our Ego And Acknowledging Our Need For God
Those who are poor in spirit realize their ego will get in the way of true desire for the Lord. that we are nothing without him.
And he is the one who truly meets our needs. Isaiah went through this.
Isaiah 6:1-3
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord seated on a throne…
high and exalted…and the tail of his robe filled the temple.
Above him were seraphs (highest ranking angels)…6 wings 2 they flew with 2 wings
2 they covered their faces.
2 they covered their feet.
And these seraphs said to each other.
“Holy holy holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Verse 4-5
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
At the sound of the seraphs…the whole place began to shake… and fill with smoke…
Isaiah began to cry out in fear!
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
This is what it means to be poor in spirit. To realize we aren’t worthy of him.
but also knowing we NEED him.
In one of Jesus’ first sermons… he set the record straight.
Blessings Come When We Understand That Our Lives Depend On God and God Alone
We live in a society where we judge sins. Truth is:
You are either a sinner…or you’re not.
…and you definitely are.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
We have ALL sinned.
We are all sinners.
We all have sins we still do.
we’ve all fallen short
Romans 3:24
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Isaiah realized he small he was when he saw that vision. To be poor in spirit is about humility!
And Jesus said that the faster you realize this… that’s where the blessing comes.
Now for the 2nd of the Beatitudes:
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Those who mourn.
Mourn means to show deep sorrow or regret about something.
This means to feel something… DEEP regret
what do we mourn about?
Typically bad decisions. losing a loved one.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 tells us we don’t mourn the way the rest of the world does. but Jesus said those who mourn are blessed.
So what should we be in deep regret about?
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn:
But it starts with being poor in spirit.
We have to recognize our value… which isn’t anything to the Lord.
But then being remorseful for the things we’ve done.
Are We Remorseful For The Things We’ve Thought, The Words We’ve Said, Or The Things We’ve Done?
Or are we just waiting for tomorrow or later this week when we can do those things again?
It is the deep regret that helps us to STOP doing those things again… are we remorseful?
Luke 18:9-14
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
He would not even look to heaven.
Repentance Begins When We Stop Excusing Our Sins And Start Grieving Them!
The things we say to others…
the things we do to others… the love we don’t show…
the things we do/think when we’re on our own.
We have to truly regret these things to repent of them…. and THAT’s where the blessing comes.
2 Corinthians 7:10
10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn:
With all that’s going on in the world…
Are we truly hurting for those hurting out here? regardless to whoever our leaders are…
people are dying every day.
and the condition of the WORLD is taking their lives.
In Luke 19, Jesus had wept over Jerusalem.
Luke 19:41
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Why is Jesus weeping?
Because they were close to the truth…but chose not to listen. and they will regret that…
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn:
People out here are really hurting. do we hurt for them?
or do we want to say…”that’s what you get.”
or “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Where is the compassion for people?
Do we see others hurting and feel something?
The Lord Desires For Our Hearts To Reflect His Heart
Just like David.
Jesus says that if you can have a heart for the things HE has a heart for… those people are blessed.
{recap}
We have Earthy and Spiritual Blessings that come from above. Jesus told us the heart posture of those who receive them.
Those Who Are Poor In Spirit -> “I Need The Lord” Those Who Mourn -> “I Feel The Pain That Hurts Him”
Being aware leads to grief
grief leads to repentance
that repentance leads to blessings.
This is how Jesus started one the greatest sermon ever told.
A way of understanding this…
“Lord, I Can’t Fix My Life On My Own. I Need Your Grace, Your Wisdom, and Your Forgiveness.”
We’ll continue with more of the posture of God’s people.
