#blessed: An Upside-Down Kingdom

The Kingdom of Heaven is an upside-down kingdom.
True blessedness does not look like blessing by the world’s standards.
The World’s Beatitudes
True blessedness in the Kingdom of Heaven looks like failure in this world.
Kingdom Economics
The poor inherit a kingdom. (5:3)
The poor in spirit are those who recognize they are in need of God’s help. theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It belongs to those who confess their spiritual bankruptcy
The mourners receive eternal comfort. (5:4)
Mourning can be because of suffering endured for the Kingdom.
Mourning can be because of grief over sin.
Mourning can be because of the brokenness of this world and a longing for eternity with Christ.
The meek conquer the earth. (5:5)
The meek are the “gentle” (cf. 11:29), those who do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strength, but who will nonetheless inherit the earth because they trust in God to direct the outcome of events. Cf.
The hungry are satisfied. (5:6)
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness recognize that God is the ultimate source of real righteousness, so they long for his righteous character to be evident in people’s lives on earth. They shall be satisfied by responding to his invitation to be in relationship with him.
The merciful receive mercy. (5:7)
The kindness and forgiveness that the merciful show to others will also be shown to them.
The pure receive the presence of God. (5:8)
5:8 The pure in heart are those whose pursuit of purity and uprightness affects every area of life. they shall see God. Note the ultimate fulfillment in