Now when Jesus saw the crowds,
he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
Matthew 5:1-2 New International Version (NIV)
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)
Beatitude means supreme blessedness or happiness
“You’re blessed when you’re
at the end of your rope.
With less of you
there is more of God and his rule.”
Matthew 5:3 (The Message)
“You’re blessed when you feel
you’ve lost what is most dear to you.
Only then can you be embraced
by the One most dear to you.”
Matthew 5:4 (The Message)
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
Loss is when something that we once held dear
has been taken away and we are forced
to make a frightening change.
from When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change
by M. Craig Barnes, pp. 10-11
Mourning that leads to blessing usually comes
from the realization that we live in a broken, sinful world filled with suffering, sickness, and pain.
Mourning turns into blessing only when we turn to the ONE who suffered and gave up everything…