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#Blessed
I’m sure you’ve heard of “The Beatitudes” that Jesus spoke. The sermon on the mount is what most people initially think of when they picture Jesus preaching in their minds. They are wonderful teachings that instruct believers on how they should act in good times and bad. If you haven’t read them before, let’s read them now.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”Matthew 5:2-12
In all of these verses, Jesus begins with “Blessed are…”. What does all this mean? How do we become those who are blessed? Let’s try to understand these on a deeper level by looking at Jesus, the one who gave us these teachings.
What About Jesus?
When Jesus came to this earth, he wasn’t some charismatic and handsome man (sorry, the movies lied). Jesus was one who was acquainted with grief and had no majesty or beauty to attract us to him. (Isaiah 53:2-3)
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Isaiah 53:2-3
When we read the gospels, Jesus was very humble. In fact, while his disciples knew Jesus was above them, he chose to wash their feet (see John 13). The Apostle Paul also reminds us of how Christ lowered himself and obeyed God’s will.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8
Whenever Jesus was ridiculed, persecuted, and even when he was beaten and crucified, he never fought back with his words or actions. The following verses from that passage in Philippians says how God the Father exalted Jesus and gave him authority so that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God (Php 2:9-11). Jesus was blessed because he did the work God gave him.
How Do We Become Blessed?
Jesus shows us by example how to live a life of faith according to God’s Word. Our hope as Christians is heaven and eternal life, but do we receive that blessing just by saying, “I believe in God and Jesus”? If we look closely in the Bible, we can see there’s more to it. Jesus says some strong, but important, words to believers in Matthew 7.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Matthew 7:21-23
In these verses, Jesus says not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Who are those who call Jesus “Lord”? It’s not the Jews or the Muslims. It’s not the Buddhists or Hindus. Christians are the ones who call Jesus “Lord”. Jesus is saying not everyone who says they believe in Jesus, i.e., Christians, will go to heaven. But those who do the will of God are the ones who enter heaven and receive the blessings.
What does that mean for us? In order for us to do God’s will, we must first know God’s will. In John 17:3, Jesus says,
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
At the time of the first coming, the Jews who came to Jesus and believed in him could be saved and receive eternal life. Jesus promised to come again, but he doesn’t come again in the flesh. When Jesus died and was resurrected, he had a new spiritual body after he resurrected. At the time of the second coming, Jesus promised to come to the one who overcomes (Rev 3:12), and that person is sent to preach on Jesus’s behalf (Rev. 22:16). For us to know and follow God’s will today, we must find the one whom Jesus sent and hear the words he preaches. The words are not that messenger’s, but they are Jesus’s words. Jesus even tells us this in John 16
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
John 16:13-14
Jesus mentions the Spirit of Truth, but we can’t see or hear a spirit. We can see and hear a person, however. That spirit works with that person and together they preach the words Jesus gave them. Those who live their lives of faith according to the words Jesus gave are the ones who do God’s will and become those who are blessed.
Counting Our Blessings
Let’s go back to what Jesus says in Matthew 5. He talks about how those who hunger for righteousness, those who are peacemakers, those who are meek, those who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake, those believers are blessed. What does that actually mean for us today? All of those qualities should stem from understanding and obeying God’s and Jesus’s words. As we grow in our understanding of what the Bible talks about, what has been promised, our thoughts, words, and actions should also change accordingly.
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Matthew 13:33
The words of the Bible are like yeast that should change us from the inside, change our spirits. When that happens, we can become those who are blessed like Jesus. So, let us learn and understand Jesus’s words and live by them so we can receive the blessing of eternal life and heaven, and be together with God and Jesus.
Written by Kenny
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