Craig Smith • The Beatitudes • June 4, 2023
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Matt. 4:23)
The beatitudes: the
and
of living a kingdom life…
Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying… (Matt. 5:1-2)
•Five of the beatitudes involve our
with God – “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 pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matt. 5:3-6, 8)
The aim of Jesus is not to reform the
of
, but to reform the
of
– “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” (Mark 7:21-23)
• Three of the beatitudes involve our
with others – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy…Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:7, 9-12)
What the beatitudes teach us…
• Happiness is not a
you seek, it is a by-product of seeking the right
– “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8)
• Happiness is not based on external
, but on internal
– “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust…” (Psalm 40:4)
…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3b)
…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:10b)
Our ultimate happiness: Jesus became the
so that we might receive the
…
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Gal. 3:13-14)
