We started the new year with a new sermon series on Matthew 5-7. This portion of Matthew introduces Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, presenting a radical vision for life in God’s kingdom. It is a way of living that transforms hearts, reshapes relationships, and points the world to God’s glory. Jesus calls His disciples to embrace righteousness, to trust God wholeheartedly, and to build their lives on His word.
As we looked through Matthew 5:1-16, we were challenged to embrace Jesus’ vision of true blessing and to shine differently as His people among this world. Through teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us a snapshot of a person blessed by God. The descriptions here overturn our normal expectations of what a happy and blessed life looks like. Disciples of Jesus and citizens of Heaven are to be marked by repentance, righteousness, and reproach. Real blessing is not in the physical things of the world; rather, it is a blessing by having God’s favor, a blessing found in the future, and ultimately a blessing of being in His kingdom.
