The Sermon on the Mount - No. 1

Key Lesson No. 1

 

Matthew 5:3 … “God blesses those who are poor & realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

 

            Matthew 5:3-12 is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, also referred to as The Beatitudes. They were and are “a code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct for all believers.” ⁽¹⁾ I will be touching on the key lessons to be learned from this sermon.

Jesus isn’t speaking to those who are financially poor, but rather who are spiritually poor. Those individuals will more times than not realize their spiritually bankrupt state and seek God realizing something is missing in their life. While financial and spiritual poverty can go together, they are not at all identical.

God speaks to these individuals in Isaiah 57:15, when he says, “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” The Lord is in each and every one of his children by virtue of his indwelling Spirit and because of his ubiquitous nature, all around us.

Living for God is a direct contradiction to the world’s values and clashes directly with them.  We are called to avoid being unduly influenced by the system of the world by living according to the standards scripture offers. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary to please the Lord with our lives. If we do this, we will be blessed. This is not to say our lives with become void of flaws or disappointments, or even significant challenges. What it does say is that if we live our lives to please God and not ourselves we will be blessed and achieve a heaven bound future. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

⁽¹⁾ Footnote from p. 2003 of The Life Application Study Bible; New Living Translation; copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.