BLESSINGS ARE FOREVER
Matthew 5:3-10
INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the Sermon on the Mount series. Heaven is where we should focus.
I. Each Beatitude has it’s own reward
1. Verse 3&10 Share the same reward: Heaven
a. Jesus constantly mentions Heaven, let’s not lose sight of that
2. Verse 4 – Jesus mourned
3. Verse 5 –Meekness is not weakness
a. Jesus is the example – Silence before His accusers
b. ILLUS - Meekness = humility – Dr. Samuel Brengle (Salvation Army) said “The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. IT could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron. O that I may never lose sight of this.”
4. Verse 6- The only way to seek righteousness is through prayer
a. Discipleship – chasing after God.
5. Verse 7- Jesus helped everyone who came to him, Mercy was one of his strongest personality traits.
a. ILLUS – Mother of two-time convict to Napoleon: “It would not be mercy if he deserved it.”
6. Verse 8-Become pure like little children.
7. Verse 9- Be a peacemaker
a. Pray for those who persecute you
b. Jesus prayer on the cross
1. Each sin is a figurative Roman nail
II. The Beatitudes are their own reward
1. There are many meanings here
2. The lowest of the low are blessed
a. Job, Jonah
b. When you hit rock bottom, you can only look up. Then you see God.
3. Humble yourself, because your reward is in Heaven
CONCLUSION: We should all pray for God to show us His Divine Will and His Divine Plan for our lives. That’s our only hope of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven without hitting rock bottom here on earth.
