A Lesson From the Beatitudes

"3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5: 3-10 (NIV)

Tonight at the Ambassadors For Christ girls small groups, something was mentioned (I don't remember what exactly) that made me remember a sermon my preacher from Live Oak shared over Spring Break while I was home.

Rev. Tim Carver (Live Oak First Advent Christian Church) spoke about Jesus and the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount here are my notes, which I think you might enjoy:

We often times keep drifting in our spiritual life, when we should be sick of sin, which we don't want to play in it again.  When you fall, God keeps you from hitting the absolute lowest.  In the church today, you should be able to take the word of a Christian, but it's not a sure thing anymore.  It should be as sure as a lie detector test.  We often don't think about the bad in life, but how many times have you hit rock bottom?  Do you know what it means to hit rock bottom spiritually?

To fully understand what Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount on how we should strive to gain access to heaven and really believe what he was teaching, try reading the beatitudes backwards:

10You want the kingdom of heaven, prepare to be persecuted.

9You want to be called sons of God, be peacemakers.

8If you want to see God, have a pure heart

7If you want to be shown mercy, be merciful.

6To be filled, learn to hunger and thirst for righteousness.

5To inherit the earth, you should be meek.

4To be comforted you need to mourn.

3To have the kingdom of heaven, be like Jesus, poor in spirit.

Tim closed the sermon saying "It's about having the character of Christ.  he taught with authority, the son of God, he lived his life fully God and fully human."

My notes from this sermon help remind me that this is how I should be approaching life.  I should be willing to be persecuted for God, to be a peacemaker in His name.  I need to show people a pure heart, to be merciful, I should thirst and hunger for His righteousness in all I do, everyday.  To be meek, mourn and be poor in spirit will magnify Him so that I may one day see the kingdom of heaven.  Sometimes you just need to look a verse or section or chapter in the Bible and read it differently to grasp the concept portrayed in a new way.

"But I hope for the best, I have to."-Nigel, The Devil Wears Prada