How to Be a Good Christian
February 1, 2026. Mathew 5:1-12. Richard Senum
I wonder- can we be perfect Christians? I don’t think so.
But can we be good Christians?
Generally - the answer is yes/no. Sometime we do and say very good things but we can also do and say some very bad things. It’s that sinful nature within us. The consequence of the disobedient seed of Adam and Eve that has been with people for a very long time.
But this I know to be sure and true. We are fallen - sinful Christians in desperate need of a perfect Saviour who lived a perfect life to show us how to live a perfect life. And that perfect Saviour is Jesus Christ.
There is a Christian song by Rick Founds titled; ‘I lift your name on High’ and in that song is a line; ‘He came from heaven to earth to show the way.’ And that is what Jesus does in our reading in the gospel of Matthew this morning.
In Matthew up to 4:11 it’s like reading an introduction to a great book. The author sets the scene – the purpose of the book – which will be about “…Jesus the Messiah” and gives a bit of information about the main characters.
Then Matthew breaks his introduction into two parts.
The first part is the birth of Jesus – his family genealogy – a ruthless king whose jealousy caused him to kill innocent children and the flight of the holy family to Egypt and their return to Nazareth.
In the second part of Matthew’s introduction, we are told what Jesus had to do to prepare for his ministry.
First - he needed to be baptized by John the Baptist (which fulfilled Old Testament prophesies) and it’s during the baptism we hear God say; “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” And with him we also are well pleased.
Second - Jesus is tested in the wilderness and tempted by Satan. And I thought about how the testing and tempting effected his human body. Physiologically - the average person can live without air for three minutes – without water for three days and without food for three weeks. And Jesus went forty days and forty nights. To survive as a human for that length of time was a miracle.
Nevertheless - even though Jesus was famished and dehydrated beyond normal human limits – he was fully able to survive the forty days and was fully able to rebuke Satan’s temptations with the Word of God when he finally says at Matthew 4: 10; “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
It is very important for us that we know the Holy Words of God. So that when we can respond appropriately to the fiery darts from those who either willingly or unwittingly follow evil authorities.
After being taken care of by the angels – Matthew says that Jesus began his ministry. As Erin said last week Jesus moved to Capernaum in Galilee and began to preach saying at Matthew 4:17; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The obvious way to think about what Jesus says – is that it is because He is here living among and within us that heaven is near. But on the other hand – heaven is always near because we could be face to face with God – this afternoon or tomorrow or next week.
Now – Jesus is traveling through Galilee – teaching and preaching and healing. With miraculous healing and words of authority - he is becoming very popular. Mark says at 1:28; “News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.”
And Matthew says at 4:23-25 that he was “…healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
“News about him spread quickly…” Even today if we were to hear of someone healing and preaching with authority, they would be very popular and attract large crowds. People then and now need to hear the words of life and light that Jesus says.
By the beginning of chapter five – most of the local population has heard of Jesus and want to listen to his teaching – and to heal them of their diseases. And still today – people are drawn to Jesus. We just seem to know in our heart and mind that he is the LORD of life.
So seeing the crowd he goes up onto a mountain and begins to teach them.
The verses we read this morning are called the Beatitudes.
A clearer way of thinking of them – is that they are the attitudes a Christian or anyone else -should have.
They begin a much larger teaching – called the Sermon on the Mount -which is like a manifesto for how Christians should be or at least how we should try to be.
In the Beatitudes - Jesus is outlining the personal attitudes we should have toward other people. In the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, he is teaching us God’s moral standard.
As I read through the Sermon on the Mount, I wondered how I would apply the Beatitudes while trying to live my life according to God’s standard.
I quickly realized that the problem we all know have - is that as many times as we read God’s personal – ethical and moral standards - is the number of times we fail to live up to those standards. --- And that is why we need to repent – ask for forgiveness and stake our life on our Saviour – Jesus Christ.
Jesus says we should be poor in spirit - - meek - - humble - - peace loving - - merciful ---- and persecuted because of our testimony of the truth found in him. What a contradiction to the way most people think and behave in the world we live in. Yet most people would say that these are admirable characteristics but they do not work in real life. What do we see in the world – anger - greed -lust - pride – (and not the kind of pride that has a whole month set aside to recognize certain people’s prideful life style.)
Paul in Galatians 5: 19-21 lists the fruits of the sinful nature that characterize the world as it has been since the fall of Adam and Eve; “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This is not how we are to live and - IT IS NOT LIFE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Hear what Jesus says at the beginning of each Beatitude; Blessed are the poor – Blessed are the meek – Blessed are the peacemakers and Blessed are those who are persecuted.
These are blessed or holy attributes of God and Jesus is telling us that they should be our attributes as well. And - we demonstrate them in our conduct and behaviour to others – Christians but especially – non-Christians. And if we do so then Jesus says we are blessed.
Jesus is not saying that we have to go looking for opportunities to be poor or meek or peacemakers or to be persecuted. They are personal attitudes on how we should look at or apply to daily living and the circumstances in our lives. Don’t get overly caught up in the secular world. Like the love of money as Paul says in 1 Timothy 6: 9-10: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
It seems noteworthy to me that Jesus had the most to say about persecution. But before persecution he says; “Blessed are the peacemakers,…”
When I was in the RCMP and as an investigator with the Province of British Columbia - I was legally – that is by legislation - a Peace Office. Under the Criminal Code of Canada a Peace Officer is - among other things – defines as a person who is a; “…police officer, police constable, bailiff, constable, or other person employed for the preservation and maintenance of the public peace.” I could do all kinds of investigations but the obvious purpose is that what is done has the effect of keeping the peace. That is the peace within a society or group of people.
We would expect peace makers to strive for equity - justice – and truth -- an attitude that is not always prevalent or obvious in government and business and some modern social organizations. Those seeking truth and justice can bring peacemakers into conflict with government and other organizations.
So then after “Blessed are the peacemakers..” Jesus speaks about persecution. As Jesus knew it and as we know it - trying to be peacemakers or just trying to be peaceful can result in persecution.
As this is what he says;
“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.”
Jesus knew that he would be persecuted and killed by the Roman civil authorities with the abetting to the Jewish religious authorities.
And symbolically -- every human that ever lived abetted to the killing of the LORD of life – you and me.
And Jesus knew that Christians would face persecution through out the history of the church. The worldly hate Jesus and since they cannot get at him, they will go after those who follow and worship him - Christians. Jesus said to his disciples in John 15: 18-19; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
The other Beatitude that I spent a lot of time thinking about and meditating on was – “Blessed are the poor in spirit,…”
What did it mean to me? It is being humble before God – the creator of all things. To submit my life completely to him. To rely on him -- and trust that he will take care of me and satisfy all my wants and needs – no matter my circumstances. And as I think on my life I know that he has taken care of me. I do not have wealth or silver or gold but he has satisfied me when I need to be satisfied.
And one commentator noted that by submitting our lives to Jesus we enjoy a kind of peace that is not of this world. A peace that passes all understanding. This peace Jesus gives us as he says in John 14: 27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
It is knowing that no matter what I see in the world I think of it like this;
“The universe and this World are unfolding just and God the Father intends for them to unfold."
All the Beatitudes tell us to be humble before God and trust in him completely. This we know to be absolutely true.
Amen, Come LORD Jesus
Copyright © 2026 St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Kamloops
