Today we’re beginning a series on one of Jesus’ most famous teachings. It’s found in Matthew 5–7, and it begins in 5:1–2(read). Traditionally, this is known as the “Sermon on the Mount” because Jesus gave it from a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee in order to speak to a large group of people.
Even today, in a biblically illiterate culture, most people connect Jesus with the Sermon on the Mount—but few understand its contents.
For example, many would say, “That’s where my favorite verse is—‘Judge not, lest you be judged.’”
Matthew tells us in 4:23 that Jesus spent the first part of His public ministry in Galilee teaching people about the ‘gospel (good news) of the kingdom.’
Chapters 5–7 are a distilled example of what Jesus was teaching on this subject.
On both counts, Jesus is a revolutionary.
His message runs counter to the religious, ethical, and philosophical teaching of the world.
He is forming a counter-culture, and this sermon is His manifesto.
If you follow it, you will become radically counter-cultural.
He makes eight statements that follow a common structure:
“Blessed are the...for theirs is / they shall...”
The word “blessed” (Greek: makarios) doesn’t mean “say this when someone sneezes,” or a prayer mumbled before a holiday meal.
It means “truly happy,” “deeply fulfilled.”
So Jesus affirms our human longing for happiness—and He announces that the God of the Bible wants to give it to us.
Then He reveals the counter-cultural attitudes that lead to it...
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
If you want true happiness, according to Jesus, the first step is getting into God’s kingdom—the only sphere of true happiness.
And the key that unlocks the door to God’s kingdom (here comes the first surprise) is being “poor in spirit.”
Jesus doesn’t use the normal word for “poor.”
To be ptōchos means you are so poor that you are completely dependent on the charity of others.
So, to be “poor in spirit” is to acknowledge your total spiritual need before God.
It means admitting:
This is what the Bible commonly calls “faith.”
This is the foundation of most world religions and the self-help movement.
Jesus tells a famous parable to illustrate the difference (read Luke 18:9–13).
How utterly counter-cultural is Jesus’ conclusion (read Luke 18:14):
You can almost hear the religious crowd gnashing their teeth, and the sinners cheering with hope.
How do you assess your own spiritual resources?
One way to tell: your gut reaction to Luke 18:14.
Because Jesus came to pay our sin-debt, the door to God’s kingdom is wide open—
but only to those who come poor in spirit.
It remains shut to those who insist they are good enough.
Because it is foundational.
Read Matthew 5:4a:
“Blessed are those who mourn…”
Wait—Happy are those who are sad???
Is this some kind of spiritual masochism? (“The thrill of agony, the victory of defeat”)
Is Jesus advocating a gloomy spirituality where people walk around with long faces and never laugh?
No!
Jesus Himself was full of joy and humor.
Jesus is describing the opposite of several common attitudes:
To “mourn” is to allow yourself to be emotionally affected by the brokenness of this world:
Then—you bring that sorrow to God.
You allow Him to meet you in your grief and comfort you with His mercy and hope
(see 2 Corinthians 1:3–5; Lament Psalms).
What are you habitually doing with the pain of living in a broken world?
Ask the Lord to teach you how to mourn in this way, and you will experience more of His comfort.
Read Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Sometimes translated “gentle” or “meek”, this word often dredges up misleading images:
But the Greek word here—prautēs—has nothing to do with weakness.
In Greek literature, prautēs described powerful war horses—stallions that were:
Meekness is strength under control—power harnessed to serve your master and advance His purposes.
It’s the “controlled desire to see someone else’s interests advanced over your own.”
It is true humility (see Philippians 2:3–4).
Our culture tells us:
Jesus disagrees in method, not in outcome:
He agrees that happiness includes gaining power—
But He says that God gives it to those who humbly submit to Him and serve others.
“They shall inherit the earth.”
Jesus says that the truly powerful are those who:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
– James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5–6
Read Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
We all hunger and thirst for something. But Jesus says that the more you hunger for what the world says will satisfy you—
things like:
…the more empty and unsatisfied you will become.
It takes more and more to deliver the same buzz.
Your desires enslave and corrupt you.
Righteousness—which means becoming more like Christ in your character.
If this is your #1 priority, and you focus on Jesus:
What are you hungering and thirsting for?
Is it satisfying you—or leaving you emptier?
Read Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
We live in a culture that glorifies vengeance—a twisted version of justice.
It’s a major theme in entertainment:
“I don’t get mad; I get even.”
There’s a perverse pleasure in paying someone back for wronging you.
But vengeance always takes a toll on your soul.
As a pastor or counselor, I regularly see people who are emotionally, relationally, and spiritually wrecked—
Why?
Because they insist on the right to hate those who have wronged them.
Few things are as toxic to the human spirit as bitterness.
True happiness comes not from getting revenge, but from laying down your right to pay someone back,
and instead seeking their healing (see Romans 12:17–21).
This doesn’t mean there’s no place for responsible legal action or protection.
It’s about your heart attitude toward the offender.
By choosing to extend mercy to others:
Read Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
This doesn’t mean that only the sinless go to heaven.
If that were the case, 5:8 would contradict 5:3—and no one would be saved except Jesus!
Instead, "pure in heart" means to have unmixed intentions—to relate to God and others with transparent, unhypocritical openness, especially (ironically) about your own sins and problems.
Our culture says:
“Keep your agenda hidden. Put on a front. Don’t let people know who you really are or what you really struggle with.”
That’s how the world tells us to stay safe.
Unfortunately, Christians are sometimes the worst offenders.
But people who live this way end up:
When you depend on God’s mercy, you can afford to:
And when you do, God gives you:
“They shall see God.”
Read Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
This doesn’t refer to peace-lovers who avoid conflict at all costs.
It’s not passive appeasement or compromise just to keep things quiet.
Peacemaking is about reconciliation—
restoring genuine unity between people by addressing the root causes of their alienation.
To be a peacemaker means:
God is the ultimate Peacemaker.
When you do this kind of work with Him:
“They shall be called sons of God.”
Read Matthew 5:10–12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake... Rejoice and be glad...”
Sometimes being a peacemaker leads to persecution—
because not everyone wants peace, especially when peace requires confronting pride or sin.
This beatitude means:
This is only possible if you’re grounded in God’s approval through Jesus.
When this happens, Jesus says:
Do you believe this?
“How happy I am ten years from now will have nothing to do with my circumstances
(how much money I made, how certain people treated me, etc.).
It will have everything to do with these attitudes.”
Choose to come to Jesus “poor in spirit”
so you can enter His kingdom
and begin to experience His influence in your life.
How can we cooperate with God’s Spirit in forming these attitudes?
“Makarios... describes that joy which... is serene and untouchable...
and completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.”– W. Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1 (Westminster Press, 1958), p. 84
