What does it look like to be like Jesus?

The Bible is filled with proverbs and parables about living as a Christ follower.

In Part 1, we started going through Matthew 5 and talking about the characteristics or attitude a Christian should have, also known as the Beatitudes. We pick back up 6 verse!

Living the Christian life has many facets. When we acknowledge that being poor in spirit also looks like mourning our sins, we’re ultimately striving for obedience and self-control. With God’s strength, we’re given an actual desire to seek for righteousness.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Having a hunger and thirst for righteousness isn’t like grabbing a quick protein bar and bottle of water. It’s a deep hunger that longs for satisfaction in the truth of God. This desire for righteousness is intense and a sign of a healthy Christian.

It can be hard for most of us to imagine what it looks like to starve for something. When we want food, we have it delivered. When we want a new pair of shoes, we search online and can have them on our doorstep in 1-2 business days. We live in a world of ease. When we hunger for something, it usually isn’t righteousness. We have the tendency to hunger for money, power, comfort or entertainment.

It’s a daily fight, but instead of feeding into our selfish desires, we have to push into these godly desires that God gives us. We must invest in the desire for righteousness. As Christians, we must push into the desire to be more like Jesus, not run from it or push it aside. At the end of the day, when we pursue God, we’ll get to experience the fullest form of satisfaction we can ever know.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

God’s mercy was shown to us at the moment of salvation. God’s mercy allowed us to mourn over sin, and it was an act of mercy that God continues to allow us to experience a relationship with Him. In the same way, the Christian not only experiences mercy, but is called to show mercy.

By showing mercy to others, we can be a light to those in our life. Mercy looks like protecting those who are weak, bringing comfort to those who mourn and forgiving those who wrong us. When we start thinking of others’ needs before our own, we show compassion and are ultimately concerned with the souls of mankind.

God showed us grace and mercy, even when we were still in our sin. How much more should we show mercy to others?

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

The pure heart is the heart that is completely devoted to God. It’s a heart that doesn’t push God aside for idols or selfish desires, but instead, is focused on keeping God the center of everything they do.

When we strive for purity of heart, we grow a deeper relationship and understanding of God. When God is the focus of our hearts, intimacy with Him grows because there isn’t anything distracting us from that intimacy.

This leads us to verse 9,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Being a peacemaker isn’t someone who lives in peace. Being a peacemaker is someone who brings peace. Being a peacemaker is a person of action, or someone who fights against evil with good. This can be accomplished by living out and spreading the gospel. It’s the work of Jesus that brings true peace and reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).

The peacemakers are advocates of the gospel.

And it's the peacemakers that are called sons of God. At the end of the day, we have the ultimate reward when we bring peace into the world, because we’re recognized as God’s children. It’s peacemakers that share the same desire for peace and reconciliation that God desires for the world.

As we come to the end of the beatitude passage, we see a weird thing happen in Matthew 5.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

You read that right.

The Christian is called “blessed” when faced with persecution. Believers walk in meekness, show mercy and strive to have a pure heart. And yet, we will still face persecution for our faith.

The beatitudes aren’t a to-do list for us to accomplish so that we experience blessings and ease. It’s actually the opposite. When we pursue God above all, we will face situations that will lead to suffering. Unlike what you may think, this suffering is what helps to strengthen our faith.

Just as being poor in spirit is the foundation of the Christian life, persecution is the cherry on top. I’m not speaking of the kind of suffering that is brought on by our own sin, but instead, the type of suffering caused by standing for truth.

When we walk in faith despite pain and persecution, we’re given endurance. It’s a comfort to know that early Christians were also persecuted. From being falsely accused to immorality, the Christians from years past persevered. Hardship didn’t stop them. They pursued God, regardless of the opinions of others or the physical pain brought to them.

Not only did they endure, they also rejoiced. Friends, we’re called to do the same.

Jesus shared these “beatitudes” as a road map for the Christian. From the moment of repentance to the endurance in persecution, we are called to pursue God above everything else.

We can faithfully sing,

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand.