Christian Character

Sermon – Christian Character Jan Hieminga
Matthew 5 1-12
Some time ago one of the newspapers did a survey. It must have been a
low day for news, because the paper filled a whole page with a survey they
had done amongst their readers. The readers were asked, “What character
trait do you most value in another person?”
People were asked to give one word describing the character trait they
most value in other people. Well, the list was very long. It had everything
from integrity, courage, honesty, charity, compassion, commitment,
character, caring, non judgemental, humility, friendliness, generosity, and
on and on it went right to being able to say I am sorry. Apparently, to make
money and to be good looking did not make it on the list.
Two words were on top of the list as most mentioned. They far
outnumbered all the others. One was honesty and the other was integrity.
Honesty and integrity were the two most valued character traits by far
according to the survey of newspaper readers. And you could well argue
that many of the other words used by people were closely related to
honesty and integrity.
I found that very interesting. because when I browsed through the rest of
the paper, and watched the news, it seemed that most of what I read had
very little to do with honesty and integrity. And even when it was used, I
had grave doubts whether we could really trust those who were trying so
hard to prove their honesty.
So what is going on? Are the newspapers and the news so far out of touch
that they do not have a grasp of what we really value in others?
Or have we really lost our sense of what we value in people, and have we
started to accept that honesty and integrity are too much to expect from
people?
The story in Matthew we read today is about the first sermon Jesus
preached. The sermon, I think, is about what God values in our character.
It is as if Jesus is asked what does God call most important in our
character. Does it have to do with honesty and integrity, or does it have to
do with success and getting rich and looking good.

After being baptized by John the Baptist and having spent 40 days in the
desert to battle the devil, Jesus calls his disciples for a first lesson.
He gives his first sermon. The sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount.
because the place where Jesus gave this sermon was on a hillside. It was
a quiet place by the lake, the sea of Galilee. It was on a slope towards the
hills in Galilee. A great place to sit down and meditate.
We were there several years ago on our trip to Egypt and Israel. The
property around the Sea of Galilee is owned by the church; therefore there
has been no development and it is still pretty much the way it was when
Jesus preached his sermon there. We were told that the acoustics in that
place are excellent. Someone speaking by the water could be heard clearly
by everyone sitting on the slopes of the hill side.
Matthew tells us that Jesus sat down. Why does he tell us that? That is
what rabbis did. That is how they taught. They sat down somewhere and
people or students would gather around them. Paul tells us that he sat at
the feet of Gamaliel, a well-known teacher in his days That is how Jesus
teaches his first lesson.
What is Jesus’ first lesson about? We call the first lesson, the beatitudes.
It is a lesson about how to lead a blessed life. Some people have
translated the word for blessed as happy. How to lead a happy life But I
think that is not the same. Being blessed is more than being happy. Being
happy is a feeling; it is subjective. And we all know that feelings come and
go and they usually don’t last. Being blessed on the other hand is a
condition, an attitude. Being blessed does not describe how we feel, it
describes our relationship with God. Being blessed is a deep-down sense
of security. It means that we can say, whatever happens in my life, it is well
with my soul. It is the security of knowing that God loves us and will never
leave us. It is much deeper than being happy.
You can understand the difference between blessed and happy when you
look at the opposites.
The opposite of being happy is being unhappy or sad. The opposite of
being blessed is being cursed. It is the difference between a life with God
or a life without God. Being cursed means that you have turned your back
to God and therefore you are not part of the kingdom of God.

To lead a blessed life is to live the way God intended it. It is to live as being
part of the kingdom of God. So how can we live this life? What are the
characteristics for leading a blessed life?
Let us listen to what Jesus has to say. He starts with, “Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is not about being poor in
money. Being poor in spirit means that you look at your self and you realize
that you cannot do it on your own. You realize that you need God in your
life.
Today we teach our kids to be self reliant and independent. We teach
them: rely on your skills, your brains. That way you can stay ahead of the
game. That way you can be independent. After all the only one you can
rely on is yourself, is it not? We value independence, not dependence .
That is what we teach our children, but that is not what Jesus teaches us.
He teaches us to rely on God. That is the opposite of what our society
teaches us is not it? Rely on God instead of on your self alone, says Jesus.
Then you will have a blessed life.
The Second rule Jesus teaches us is that we are blessed when we mourn,
for then you will be comforted. That sounds strange. How can you be
blessed if you mourn? Does not mourning have to do with being sad?
Yes, it does. But what are we sad about? To realize that we are poor in
spirit and that we need to be dependent on God is only the start.
We need to take a look at ourselves. Look inside ourselves. What do you
see? Well you may say, nothing to be sad about. You may say I am a good
person. I have never been in trouble withe law. I am sure that is true. But
how about God’s law?. How about the law that says that we are to love
God with all our hearts, our minds, and souls and that we are to love our
neighbours as ourselves.
When you look deep inside you, do you see anger at someone who has
hurt you? Do you see a desire to get even? Do you see jealousy at
someone more successful than you? Does it make you sad to see all that?
It is only when you mourn over it, says Jesus, that I will be able to comfort
you.

Some time ago I talked about being blessed when we mourn, with a group
of seniors at Lakeshore Lodge, a long-term care facility where Lynne was
the chaplain. When I had explained this, a ninety-year-old Jewish man got
up, took his walker and walked out of the room. Afterwards I went to his
room and asked if there was anything I had said that had upset him.
He said, “No, what you said was right on. But it is what I have seen inside
me that has upset me. As a young man I have done something very hurtful
to my sister and it has been a strain on our relationship ever since. I have
to go and get hold of my sister, while I still can. He was mourning what he
saw. It is only when you mourn, says Jesus, that I can put my arms around
you and comfort you.
Third rule is that God blesses those who are humble or meek for they will
inherit the earth. Now I must admit that have never put being humble or
meek on my resume. In fact when I applied for a job as a manager, I tried
to show that I was the opposite. I tried to show that I was assertive and
strong. I did not think that they were looking for a humble or meek
manager. Being humble or meek is not seen as a sign of success, is it?
Yet Jesus says, blessed are those who are humble or meek. What does he
mean? First of all, being meek does not mean weak. That is what we often
think. Rather, It is a sign of inner strength and control. It means that you do
not take revenge when someone has hurt you. It means not getting even.
Not getting caught up in a world where it is every man and woman for
themselves. That takes a lot of inner strength and self control.
I am told that the Greek word translated as meek in this passage, is the
same word used for stallions trained for battle. It is strength that is
controlled. Being gentle, considerate, and courteous even when you feel
like lashing out and getting even – that is being meek, but that takes a lot of
strength. That is when God will bless you and you will inherit the earth, for
that is the way God intended us to be.
The fourth rule is that God blesses us when we hunger and thirst for
righteousness. I think that there are two different kinds of righteousness in
the bible. There is legal righteousness. That is what Jesus has achieved for
us on the cross. Through his death on the cross, Jesus has made us
righteous before God. But there is also moral righteousness. That is what
is going on in our hearts and minds. That is wanting to do what is right, for

it is doing what God wants us to do. We need to hunger for doing what we
know deep down is right, for ourselves and for our communities. When we
do that we will be blessed.
The fifth rule is that God blesses us when we are merciful, for then God will
show us mercy. Now Jesus focuses on how we are to treat others. Mercy is
compassion for others that is the compass that will steer us in the direction
God wants us to go.
Years ago, the Dalai Lama was in Canada. He was all over the news, and
special programs were dedicated to him and his teachings. A lot of
attention was given to his message. He said this: “I believe that at every
level of society, familial, tribal, national and international, the key to a
happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion.” Our
purpose in life is to be happy, says the Dalai Lama, and the way we can
find happiness is through the practice of compassion, acceptance,
forgiveness and love. He could have said that God blesses those who are
merciful, for then we will receive mercy. That is what Jesus teaches us.
The sixth rule is that God blesses us when our hearts are pure. When we
follow the rules Jesus has given us it will affect our hearts. Our inner being,
our character changes. We are sincere, people know that we can be
trusted. We have integrity. We are also true to ourselves. We have inner
security. We are not being offended all the time. Is it not interesting that the
most used word to describe the character trait we most value in other
people according to the survey in the paper, was integrity and honesty. But
is not this exactly what Jesus teaches us?
The seventh rule is that God will bless us when we are peacemakers, or
work for peace. When we have followed the rules Jesus has given us, it will
have an impact on those around us. Our attitude will be changed. Our
attitude towards others will have changed. Rather than join the competitive
rat race of winners and losers, we will make peace with each other. Making
peace with each other does not mean peace at all costs and giving up what
we believe in. It means, as it says in the letter to the Hebrews, that we are
to make every effort to live in peace with each other.
When we follow the rules Jesus has given us, he promises us that we will
lead a blessed life. But Jesus also warns us. He warns us that when we live
as Jesus teaches us we go against everything the world teaches us. We

go against every man and women for themselves. We go against what we
see and hear about in the papers. Following Jesus is the exact opposite of
what we see in the world around us. It is the opposite of what the world
teaches us. It is the opposite of what we hear on the news and see on TV.
Is that why the world does not like Christians and persecutes them in many
parts of the world? Is it because we do not play by their rules? We do not
get even. We do not get ahead of the other. We do not put ourselves first,
but we put God first. Is it because they can not control us, because we are
controlled by what Jesus teaches us? Jesus says when you follow my
teachings, be prepared that “they will persecute you and say all kinds of
evil against you”.
“But”, says Jesus, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward is in
heaven. And remember you are not alone. They have persecuted the
prophets who were before you, too.”
I think that the people answering the newspaper survey about what they
valued most in others, were right when they put honesty and integrity on
top of the list. Because that is what Jesus teaches us in the sermon on the
mount. But it is more than that. It is living a life where we put God first. It is
a blessed life that gives us the inner security that whatever may happen in
our lives, it is well with my soul.
I like the way Eugene Peterson has translated the Beatitudes in his
paraphrase of the bible called “The Message.”
He says “You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less
of you, there is more of God and his rule.
You are blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you,
only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You are blessed when you are content with just who you are. No more and
no less. That is when you find yourselves the proud owners of everything
that can not be bought.
You are blessed when you have worked up a good appetite for God. He is
food and drink in the best meal you will ever eat.
You are blessed when you care. At the moment of being care-full you find
yourselves cared-for.

You are blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart-
put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You are blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of
compete or fight. That is when you discover who you really are and your
place in Gods family.
You are blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The
persecution drives you deeper into God’s kingdom.
Not only that, count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or
throw you out, or speak lies about you to discredit Me.
What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are
uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens, for though they don’t
like it, I do. And all heaven applauds.
Now to him who can do immeasurably more than all we can imagine or ask
for, to Him be the glory and power for ever.