.

TCC–1290
1
WHAT JESUS TAUGHT
A. Introduction: We have been talking about developing Christ-like character or becoming increasingly like
Jesus in motives, thoughts, words, and actions (I John 2:6). Character is a person’s pattern of behavior or
personality; his makeup, his moral constitution. God’s will for us is that we become like Jesus in character.
1. To appreciate the importance of becoming like Jesus in character, we need to understand the big picture
or why Almighty God created us. God desires a family, and human beings were created to become His
holy, righteous sons and daughters and then express His character to the world.
a. However, all human beings have chosen independence from God through sin and are not fit for
God’s family. Jesus came into this world to die as a sacrifice for our sins, and open the way for
us to be restored to our created purpose through faith in Him. Heb 2:14-15; I Pet 3:18; John 1:12
b. Jesus is God become man without ceasing to be God. Jesus was and is fully God and fully man.
In His humanity, Jesus shows us what sons and daughters of God look like—their character, their
behavior. Jesus is the pattern for God’s family. Rom 8:29
2. When Jesus was on earth, He urged people to follow Him, to copy His example, and seek to be like Him.
Jesus told those who followed Him: Take my yoke upon you (submit to me) and learn from me, for
I am gentle (or meek) and lowly in heart (or humble) (Matt 11:29, ESV).
a. Note that in the context of telling His followers to learn from Him, the first things Jesus mentioned
about Himself are character traits—meekness and humility.
b. Jesus taught a lot about the kind of character that His followers are to have. In this next portion of
our study we’re going to look at what Jesus taught.
B. When Jesus was thirty, He began His public ministry: He went through all Galilee (northern Palestine),
teaching in their synagogues (meeting places for instruction in the Scriptures) and proclaiming the gospel
of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people (Matt 4:23, ESV).
1. Specific statements from Jesus’ teachings are found in the four gospels. And, in what is known as the
Sermon on the Mount, we find an extended account of what Jesus taught. Matt 6, 7, 8; Luke 6:20-49
a. The Sermon doesn’t tell us where and when Jesus delivered it, but many Bible scholars place it
early in Jesus’ ministry (AD 28). Matthew’s Gospel says that “One day, as crowds were gathering,
Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them” (Matt 5:1-2, ESV).
b. The entire Sermon on the Mount is a description of character—of how sons and daughters of God
are supposed to live and behave, or what Christ-like character looks like.
1. Jesus opened His Sermon with seven specific statements known as the Beatitudes. They
describe the character of a Christian, or what every follower of Jesus is supposed to be like.
2. The Beatitudes include: Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed
are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the
merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, and blessed are the peacemakers. Matt 5:3-10
2. Before we discuss these character traits, we need to set the context for the Sermon. Jesus opened His
ministry with this statement: ‘(Repent) Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of
heaven is near’ (Matt 4:17, NLT); ‘the kingdom of God is near’ (Mark 1:15, NLT).
a. Jesus came to earth to deal with mankind’s sin by offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin so that men
and woman can be restored to God through faith in Him. Heb 9:26
1. Therefore, He opened His ministry with a clear statement about what men and women must do
in response to His arrival. They must turn from their sin and turn toward God because the
Kingdom of God is near (or at hand).
2. The terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are used interchangeably. The Greek
word translated kingdom means reign. The kingdom is anywhere that God reigns or rules.
.

TCC–1290
2
b. There is a place called Heaven, or God’s home. Heaven is invisible to us because it is located in
another dimension. God reigns in Heaven. His will is carried out by all who live in Heaven—
angels and men and women who belong to Him and have left this world (lessons for another day).
1. Jesus was born into 1st century Israel, a people group (Jews) that was familiar with the concept
of Heaven being the home of God. However, based on the writings of their prophets (in the
Old Testament) they were expecting a Divine Being, a Messiah or Savior, to come to earth and
established the visible, eternal kingdom of God on earth. Dan 2:44; Dan 7:27; etc.
2. Jesus’ message got peoples’ attention because there was anticipation among the Jews that it was
time for God’s Kingdom to appear. And, they knew that those who are sinful can’t enter it.
A. The Old Testament prophets were not clearly shown that there would be two comings of
the Messiah, the first time to die as a sacrifice for sin, and then a second time to establish
His visible, eternal kingdom on earth—Heaven on earth (lessons for another day).
B. And, the prophets did not see that before the visible kingdom comes to earth, God would
establish and extend His reign in the hearts of men who surrender to His rulership.
3. The religious leaders asked Jesus when the kingdom will come and He answered: The kingdom of God
does not come visibly…because the kingdom of God is within (or among) you (Luke 17:20-21, NIV).
a. When a man or woman repents (turns from sin toward God), and voluntarily surrenders to God’s
reign or rule in and over their lives, the kingdom or reign of God is extended to them.
b. God, by His Spirit and life, indwells that person. The kingdom comes into them in the sense that
wherever the King (Christ) is reigning, the Kingdom of God is, because the King is there.
c. Jesus persuades by His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to come back to His kingdom or rule. His rule in our
lives involves more than following external rules. It’s an interior change.
1. We change the end for which we live. We submit to His rule and turn from living for
ourselves, our way, to living for Him, His way.
A. II Cor 5:15—Jesus died so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please
themselves. Instead they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them (NLT)
B. Matt 16:24—If any one desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself—that is, disregard,
lose sight of and forget himself and his own interests and take up his cross and follow Me
(Amp); give up all rights to himself (J. B. Phillips); put aside selfish ambitions (NLT).
2. God by His Spirit and life indwells us in what the Bible calls a new birth. God, by His Spirit
and life, is in us to enable us to bear fruit or develop Christ-like character. John 15:5
d. In that eternal life is the seed or the potential to express humility and meekness—the character of
Christ. The seed of Christ-likeness, or becoming like Jesus in character, is in us because He, by His
life and Spirit, is us. With these thoughts in mind, let’s begin to look at the Beatitudes.
C. Jesus opened His Sermon with seven statements about who will be included in, have a place and a part in
God’s kingdom. These are the Beatitudes.
1. These statements seem like something that only super spiritual people can achieve—to be humble, meek,
merciful, and pure in heart.
a. But the Beatitudes are not a description of certain outstanding people. They are a description of
what every Christian is meant to be. All of us are supposed to demonstrate these characteristics.
b. None of these traits are natural qualities or tendencies. They all have to do with our spiritual
condition, our attitudes and motives. These are characteristics produced by God’s grace, by the
Holy Spirit working in us, as we cooperate with Him. We can, we should all, be like this.
2. Note that each statement begins with the same two words: Blessed are. The word Beatitude is a form
of the Greek word that is translated blessed.
a. The word blessed means supremely blessed, happy, fortunate, well-off. Note this translation:
.

TCC–1290
3
Blessed—happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in
God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions] (Matt 5:3, Amp).
1. The type of person described in the Beatitudes is the one who is truly happy, because he’s been
restored to his created purpose as a son or daughter of God. He is fully submitted and obedient
to God, and walks as Jesus walked. If you want to be truly happy, this is the way to live.
2. The world, the culture that we live, in says: Express yourself, believe in yourself, be self-
confident, self-reliant. This is completely contrary to your created purpose. We were created
to live in submission to and dependence on Almighty God. That is the place of true happiness.
b. The Greek word translated blessed has the idea of a joy that is independent of circumstances. To be
blessed means enjoying happiness. To be happy means enjoying well being and contentment.
1. This is a happiness and contentment that transcends the hardships and challenges of life—a joy
that comes from knowing God, from walking with Him. Jesus spoke about a joy that no man
can take from you, and a peace unlike what the world offers. John 16:22; 14:27
2. Paul wrote about being “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…as having nothing, yet possessing
everything” (II Cor 6:10, ESV). He wrote of having “learned to be independent of
circumstances” (Phil 4:11, 20th Century) no matter what his circumstances were.
3. We will discuss each of these Beatitudes in upcoming lessons. For the rest of this lesson, we’re going to
talk briefly about the first three, and say more about why these traits are not an impossible standard.
D. The first three Beatitudes sound like what Jesus described when He told men and women that He is meek and
humble—Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, and blessed are those who are meek.
1. Matt 5:3—Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of God (KJV). This is not financial
poverty. This is spiritual poverty. Nowhere does the Bible teach the poverty is a good thing or that the
poor are more spiritual than the rich. Poor in spirit is your attitude toward yourself.
a. The one who is poor in spirit recognizes that without God I am nothing (Gal 6:3), I know nothing (I
Cor 8:2), I have nothing (I Cor 4:7), and I can do nothing (I Cor 15:5).
b. Poor in spirit is the complete absence of pride, self-assurance, and self-reliance: Blessed…are the
poor in spirit (the humble, rating themselves insignificant) (Matt 5:3, Amp).
1. The Greek word translated poor means absolutely destitute. Remember, Jesus was speaking to
1st century Jews. The Jews used the word poor to describe the humble, helpless man who puts
his whole trust in God.
2. Jesus’ listeners would have understood poor in spirit to mean someone who has realized his
utter helplessness (total lack of resources) and who has put his whole trust in God.
c. We become poor in spirit by looking at God. Isaiah was one of God’s most famous prophets and
was given great revelation from God. Isaiah actually saw God sitting on His throne in Heaven.
When Isaiah saw God, he recognized his spiritual poverty before God. Isa 6:1-7
1. Isaiah said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isa 6:5, ESV).
2. Poverty in spirit is the awareness that you are nothing in the presence of God. Therefore, you
look to Him in submission and complete dependence on Him and His mercy and grace.
3. Note how God responded to Isaiah and what He did for the prophet. An angel took a burning
coal from the altar of God in Heaven. “And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isa 6:7, ESV).
d. This Beatitude is first because, if you don’t recognize your need (guilt before God because of your
sin, and your helpless to do anything about it) then you won’t appreciate God’s solution for your
poverty or do what is needed to enter the Kingdom of God—turn from sin toward God.
2. Matt 5:4—Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted (KJV). This is a not mourning
.

TCC–1290
4
over the death of a loved one, although God does comfort us when we suffer that kind of loss.
a. This mourning is sorrow over sin. Sin is more than missing the mark. Sin is an offense against
Almighty God, and we mourn over what it means to God. Blessed is the man who is desperately
sorry for His sin and unworthiness before God.
1. David, one of Israel’s greatest kings, sinned horribly. He impregnated a woman who was not
his wife, and then hatched a plan to kill her husband and marry her before his sin was found out.
2. II Sam 12:1-7—When the prophet Nathan confronted David and exposed his sin, and David
was convicted (recognized his sin and guilt before God). He expressed his remorse in a psalm.
A. Ps 51:3-4—For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night. Against
you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight (NLT).
B. David sinned against his wife, the woman he impregnated, the woman’s husband, and his
own people. Yet he realized that his sins were first and foremost an offense against God.
b. Comfort comes from God’s response to our repentance and conversion (acknowledging our sin
before God and turning from sin toward Him). Note these statements about God’s response.
1. Ps 51:17—The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you
will not despise (NLT).
2. Isa 57:15—The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: I live in that
high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and
give new courage to those with repentant hearts (NLT).
3. Matt 5:5—Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (KJV). Meekness is not a natural trait
(nice, easy going). Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is anger under control.
a. The Greek word translated meek has the idea of self control and was used for taming animals. No
one has the power, on their own, to control the passions of corrupted human nature. But the man or
woman who is God controlled (submitted to and dependant on God) can control himself or herself.
b. Meekness is an expression of true humility. The one who is meek is free from pride, boasting, self-
protection, sensitiveness, self-glorification. He doesn’t retaliate or repay evil for evil. He
commits himself and his rights to God. He is patient and longsuffering. He is Christ-like.
c. This man or woman shall inherit the earth. This means contentment in this life no matter the
circumstances and in the life after this life, a home with God, first in the present Heaven and then on
earth when Heaven (God’s visible kingdom) comes to earth. Rev 21-22
E. Conclusion: The standard set in these Beatitudes can seem overwhelming. But if you have surrendered to
Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have already begun to express some of these characteristics. Now they
need to be developed in you. Consider the Parable of the Prodigal son. Luke 15:11-32
1. The son of a wealthy man took his inheritance, left home, and wasted all his money on wild, sinful living.
When he ended up living in a pigpen eating swine food, he came to his senses and went home. In this
parable we see that this wayward son expressed the first three Beatitudes.
a. He recognized his sin and his absolute destitution (his spiritual poverty) and repented (made the
decision to turn from his sin and go back to his father’s house). The son acknowledged that he had
sinned against God as well as his father (mourned over his sin). He came back home in humility
and meekness. He told his father: I am not worthy to live as a son. I’ll live as a servant.
b. The result: The son received the comfort of his father’s response to him. His father welcomed
him home with compassion and love, cleaned him up, and restored him to his household. The son
inherited the earth—all that was in his father’s house was now his to enjoy.
2. The place of true happiness for a human being is full submission to and dependence on God as we grow
in Christ-likeness, until we are fully like Jesus in character and express the traits Jesus described in His
teaching. Much more next week!!