The Blessings of Jesus - June 2022

One of the most profound points of Jesus' ministry was what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is eye opening because the principles that Jesus shared with the disciples during this lesson on the mountain side truly revealed who Jesus was, and the true nature of God our father. The opening of the Sermon on the Mount and the focus of our reading will be the Beatitudes.

The beatitudes refer to are a set of eight blessings spoken directly from Jesus. The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness". One of the reasons that the beatitudes were so important to the ministry of Jesus was because they emphasized the humble state of humans and the righteousness of God. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by saying,

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
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God
Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:3-10)

Each blessing depicts the ideal heart posture for those who claim to be part of God's Kingdom. If we as believers follow what Jesus spoke in the sermon, we can anticipate abundant spiritual blessings from God. We know this because we can trust in everything Jesus ever spoke. Jesus is the way. (John 14:6) God's blueprint urges us to make the choice to give our lives to Jesus here on Earth, and in doing so we follow His example all the way to Heaven. The beatitudes spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, speak of the blessings that we can expect when we choose to follow the teachings of Jesus.

If you have never taken the time to read the "Sermon on the Mount", I encourage you to so. (Matthew 5,6, and 7). As you read, you will realize some of our most commonly quoted verses are part of this sermon from Jesus. Bible verses such as "Seek First the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), "Don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3), "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:8), and one that I say each night before I go to bed, The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). As with all of Jesus' teachings, the Sermon on the Mount is truly life changing. Jesus uses this time to reveal to all that the people's way is not God's way. When we trust in God, follow His son Jesus, and receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit, we can expect generous blessings from above.

Thank you Heavenly Father for sending your Son to teach us all the way to go. May we take His teachings to heart, and truly be recognized as children of God.

Amen.

References
Bucher, M. (2020, September 21). 5 Things You Didn't Know about the Sermon on the Mount. Retrieved from Crosswalk.com: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-you-didnt-know-about-the-sermon-on-the-mount.html

Fairchild, M. (2020, August 25). What are the Beatitudes? Retrieved from Learn Religions Web Site: https://www.learnreligions.com/what-are-the-beatitudes-701505

Tyndale House Foundation. (1996, 2004, 2015). Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Carol Stream, Illinois. All rights reserved.: Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist