Blessed are the… (I) (Matthew 5:1-6)

[Stephan Choe]

January 29, 2026

Key Verse 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Beatitudes are the first part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7. Some call these Beatitudes the constitution of the kingdom of heaven. They are the foundations of a happy life as Christians. Today, we want to learn how we can be blessed through the first part of the Beatitudes.

There are two opposing opinions about the Beatitudes: Some believe that Christians should apply these Beatitudes to themselves. Others believe that Christians don't need to make any extra effort to apply the Beatitudes to themselves because it is impossible for people to follow them anyway. The majority of Christians follow the second opinion and are not particularly blessed.

The Bible, however, encourages us to take these Beatitudes seriously in order to live a blessed life. Furthermore, it encourages us that if we cannot fully live by them, we should not condemn ourselves, but confess our sins and gratefully accept God's forgiving grace. We should therefore not view these Beatitudes legally, but rather from the perspective of Christ's grace.

Jesus wants to help us enjoy blessedness in Christ through the Beatitudes.

Today we will learn about the first through the fourth Beatitude.

His first Beatitude reads: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

We can understand the word blessedness as happiness.

God wants us to be happy, but God's definition of happiness and the world's definition are fundamentally different. Many people think, for example, that those who acquire wealth and advantages and are successful are blessed. But Jesus says: "Blessed are those who recognize their poverty of spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Spiritual poverty means looking at oneself before God and recognizing one's own poverty and sinfulness in comparison to God's riches, and being humble before God. In other words, a spiritually poor person recognizes their own poverty and guilt before God and lives by the grace of God's forgiveness. And that is the true reality.

At that time, Pharisees considered themselves spiritually rich because they seemingly kept the law perfectly. They had no understanding of weak people. They knew neither God's grace nor the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus does not want us to imagine ourselves to be spiritually rich. Rather, he wants us to recognize our spiritual poverty and our sin and gratefully accept God's grace. Therefore, the "spiritually poor" are those who recognize their spiritual poverty and gratefully accept God's grace of forgiveness. Jesus Christ came into the world to offer forgiveness and his Kingdom of Heaven to the spiritually poor.

Our God is gracious. He gladly forgives all repentant people their sins and grants them his Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven means the rule of God. We can experience God's rule both on this earth and in heaven. When God rules over us, we have peace and eternal life. The Kingdom of Heaven is God's greatest gift to us. We receive the Kingdom of Heaven not through our good deeds, but through repentance and faith in Christ. Those who are spiritually poor gratefully accept forgiveness and the Kingdom of Heaven. Such a person is truly blessed.

In general, people in Germany are morally better off in some respects than those in Africa or Asia. For example, corruption in Germany is not as bad as in many other countries. Therefore, they supposedly have good reason to be self-righteous. The problem is that they are "spiritually rich." They have little interest in God's Word and eternal life. They reject invitations to Bible study or church services. They are like the older brother of the prodigal son in Luke 15. But blessed is the prodigal son who repents and gratefully accepts the Gospel. There are indeed people in Germany who are spiritually poor. We should seek them out and invite them.

All people need God's grace in Christ. Everyone should recognize their spiritual poverty and gratefully accept the offer of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second Beatitude reads: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Jesus says that those who suffer are blessed. Those who suffer are primarily those who suffer because of their own sin and repent.

David shows us a good example. When the prophet Nathan rebuked David for adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David repented and suffered for several days.

At that time, David said, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great compassion. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin; for I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:2-4).

Confessing one's sin and repenting is difficult for everyone. But David did this and received God's forgiveness and blessing. God made him an ancestor of Christ so that all people in the world can receive forgiveness and eternal life through Christ. This is an encouraging example of repentance.

Those who laugh despite their sin will no longer be able to laugh, for they will surely suffer God's righteous judgment. It is wise for us to repent of our sin and suffer for a short time. We will then abundantly experience forgiveness, comfort, and blessing. We should not delay suffering and repenting for our sin. God will forgive us, comfort us, and bless us.

However, we should not only be sad because of our own sin, but also because of the sin of others. Therefore, this includes not only pain because of our own sin, but also because of the sin of others and of the world that rejects Christ and lives in sin. We will then be comforted by the Lord. At the very latest, we will be comforted on the day of our resurrection, when God will "wipe every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 21:4). But we should not only suffer because of our own sin. We should also suffer because of the sin of the people.

The prophet Daniel shows us a good example. He repented for the sins of his people and prayed to God: “O Lord, great and holy God, who keeps covenant and love with those who love you and keep your commandments! We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned aside from your commandments and your statutes…” (Daniel 9:4-5).

And God forgave the people of Israel and sent Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

We should grieve for the unbelief of the North Koreans. The parents of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, were Christians. But Kim Il-sung became unbelieving and turned North Korea into a catastrophic hell for all North Koreans. We should grieve for the sin and unbelief of the North Koreans and ask God for his mercy.

Therefore, we should repent not only for our own sins, but also for the sins of the Korean and German people. Germany needs repentance for its self-righteousness. Korea needs repentance for its complacency. We should also repent of the sins of Christendom and ask God for forgiveness. Although Christianity is considered the world's largest religion, many Christians have become complacent. We should repent of this and become humble and grateful Christians. God will then richly bless Christendom. May God make us humble and grateful Christians. We should also grieve for the unbelievers of the world, so that God may have mercy on them and save them.

Jesus says his third Beatitude: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Psalm 37:11 also says: "But the meek will inherit the land and delight in the abundance of salvation."

Who are the "meek"? The Greeks used this word to describe a well-tamed horse. When a horse runs wild, it is dangerous to ride. That's why you first have to tame the horse well. Meek people are those whom God has tamed well through His Spirit and His Word. Meek people know God's majesty and, at the same time, their own humility. That's why we become humble before God. They trust God and treat others with humility and kindness. Therefore, they can easily endure suffering and difficulties and treat others with kindness and patience. They do not seek revenge, but repay evil with kindness.

An example of a meek person in the Bible was Moses. The Bible says that "Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on earth" (Numbers 12:3). But when he was young, he was not humble. When he saw an Egyptian mistreating one of his countrymen, he killed the Egyptian. As a consequence, he had to flee into the desert and spend 40 years there as a refugee. With God's help, he became a humble man and was able to patiently lead his people for 40 years, guiding them towards the Promised Land.

In the world, meek people are often considered foolish. But Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” In other words, they are true leaders.

Let's take Isaac in Genesis as an example. Wells were vital for animals and people back then. The Philistines took Isaac's wells. But he didn't argue with them. He gave in, moved on, and dug other wells. When the Philistines claimed those wells as well, he gave in again, moved on, and dug yet more wells. Then Abimelech, the Philistine king, realized that God was with Isaac. Therefore, he made peace with Isaac. So, because of his meekness, Isaac was the true leader of the land. How could Isaac give Abimelech the wells? I think it was because he prayed to God and trusted God.

... The world-renowned British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975) said that it is not the sword that conquers, but meekness. It is true that meek people triumph over selfish people and become true leaders.

Jesus is the most meek of all people. He warmly welcomed all the sinners of the world and died for them.

This Jesus says to us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Jesus once told us to take his yoke upon us and to learn meekness from him. What was his yoke, and what is meekness? To walk in the Father's will was his yoke; to trust God, to acknowledge his authority and guidance, and to follow his will—that is meekness.

We should wholeheartedly accept his leadership and follow it. In this way, we can learn his gentleness.

Among us, Renate is known for her gentleness. And through her gentleness, she exerts a great influence in the congregation, in her practice, and in her family. Gentleness is not a weakness, but true strength.

Those who truly want to help others must be gentle. We should learn gentleness from Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all beings in heaven and on earth. He is gentle and humble. Humbly, he obeyed God's will and gave his life for us sinners. God raised him from the dead and made him Lord over the dead and the living. That is why we could become his disciples and his children and call him "our Lord." We should follow his example and be gentle.

The fourth Beatitude reads: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Jesus says that those who thirst for righteousness are blessed. Righteousness here doesn't mean that we are recognized as righteous people because of our own actions. Rather, it means that through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness and are recognized by God as righteous. When we confess our sin and believe in forgiveness through Christ's sacrificial death, God forgives us and declares us righteous and children of God. This is not righteousness earned, but righteousness given freely.

We can find an example of righteousness given freely in Genesis. Abraham had sinned several times. For example, he had sold his wife to Pharaoh (Genesis 12:4-17). But God forgave him his sin. When Abraham believed God's promise that God would give him numerous descendants like the stars in the sky, God recognized him as righteous because of his faith. As it says in Genesis 15:5: "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

Jesus says to us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

When we recognize our guilt, we will seek divine forgiveness. God is merciful. He forgives us, declares us righteous and His children, and blesses us abundantly.

Blessed are the repentant, for God forgives those who humbly repent and thirst for divine forgiveness. Jesus quenches our thirst with His forgiveness and His Spirit. That is why He says to a woman who had changed four husbands because of her carnal thirst, “But whoever drinks of the water I give them will never be thirsty again. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Some people are thirsty for something worldly, like money, recognition, or physical love. Of course, we all need some money, recognition, or a marital relationship. If we have sinned in this way, we should seek God's forgiveness and His grace, so that we may gratefully accept God's forgiveness and the righteousness He bestows upon us. Then God will richly grant us His forgiveness and His grace. We can then experience the Kingdom of Heaven, and we should thank and praise God.

Let us read the first four Beatitudes together once more:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Amen!