Matthew 5:1-12: The Blessed Life

“I felt that what I had been standing on had collapsed and that I had nothing left under my feet. What I had lived on no longer existed, and there was nothing left.My life came to a standstill. I could breathe, eat, drink, and sleep, and I could not help doing these things; but there was no life, for there were no wishes the fulfillment of which I could consider reasonable...”

"All the things that he preaches for the happiness of humanity only complicate life to the point where it becomes harder and harder for me to live. His vegetarian diet means the complication of preparing two dinners, which means twice the expense and twice the work. His sermons on love and goodness have made him indifferent to his family, and mean the intrusion of all kinds of riff-raff into our family life. And his (purely verbal) renunciation of worldly goods has made him endlessly critical and disapproving of others."

What does a blessed life look like according to Jesus?

You are blessed when you are redeemed by God

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

“Come, follow me,”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. … ‘

‘...refer[s] not to a poor quality of faith but to the acknowledgment of one’s spiritual powerlessness and bankruptcy apart from Christ’ - Craig Blomberg

You are blessed when you are heavenly focused

You will inherit the kingdom of heaven

You will be comforted

You will inherit the earth

You will be filled

You will be shown mercy

You will see God.

You will be called sons of God

Great is your reward in heaven

“You are the salt of the earth.... You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden”

You are blessed when your actions match your identity

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You are blessed even when you are persecuted

‘Having never been present at any trials of the Christians, I am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in examining or punishing them. Whether any difference is to be made on account of age, or no distinction allowed between the youngest and the adult; whether repentance admits to a pardon, or if a man has been once a Christian it avails him nothing to recant.

I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever the nature of their creed might be, I could at least feel no doubt that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement.

When is the last time you experienced the blessing of being worked over by God?

Where is your hope placed for your blessing?