The Beatitudes - happiness and blessings

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Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus tells us how to be happy

The Beatitudes is supernatural to human nature 

Makarios- oh how happy

True happiness is a byproduct of a right relationship with God

8 Christian Characteristics of the Beatitudes

1. Blessed are the poor in Spirit

- Poor in Spirit is giving all authority to God

- You can’t be full of pride and selfish ambition

- You can’t love the things of this world


2. Blessed are those who Mourn for they shall be comforted 

- The most intense kind of mourning

- Mourning: deep sorrow of losing a loved one; sorrow over conditions of the world; sorrow over our own sinful state


3. Blessed are the meek

- Meek: happy medium between two extremes

- Meekness isn’t weakness

- Power under control 

- Jesus is our best example

- Jesus loved those who mocked and beat Him

- You choose not to use your power against others

- A God-controlled life is meekness


4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness 

- It’s desiring ALL of the righteousness of God

- Unrighteousness brings all the sorrows of the world

- Happiness shouldn’t be the main goal but the result of a godly life

- People are hungering for happiness not righteousness 

- Happiness is fleeting


5. Blessed are the merciful 

- Justice is getting what we deserve 

- Mercy is not getting what you deserve 

- Grace is getting what you don’t deserve 

- We deserve death and hell

- Jesus gave us mercy from that

- And God gives us grace of things we really don’t deserve 

- Mercy is putting ourselves in the position of other people’s struggles

- God sympathizes with us because He understands us


6. Blessed are the pure in heart

- Pure refers to washing and cleansing 

- Jesus talks about the cleansing of the heart

- Instead of being concerned of rules, God was concerned with our hearts

- It’s only the work of the Holy Spirit that can change our hearts 


7. Blessed are the peacemakers 

- Peace is more than passive; it is a positive state of good

- A peacemaker brings goodness to other people’s lives 

- We should be encouraging, loving, and finding the better part of people 

- Jesus is our ultimate peacemaker 

- Real peace can never be found in a compromise 

- We can’t coexist with the world, compromise, and sin

- Light and darkness can’t go together 

- God wants to destroy sin, but He loves the sinner

- To be a peacemaker, we don’t accept sin but love the sinner and bring them to God

- There’s a longing in everyone to return to paradise

- Peacemakers bring God to people’s lives


8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness 

- Rejoice and be glad if you are persecuted for doing good

- People won’t treat us kindly because of Jesus

- Jesus was perfect. He never hurt anyone ever. He loved everyone; but the world sought to kill Him

We are Christ’s ambassadors.

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