At Gateway Church in Austin, we are going through a series through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). John Burke shared some of the following insights:
“On those who are blessed (which isn’t who you’d think). Matthew 5:1-16 (beatitudes and similitudes)
Key phrase: “Blessed are…”
The kingdom that Jesus came to create is fundamentally upside down to conventional thinking. People expected Jesus to say that “blessed are the governors, the Pharisees, the Levites, the rich, the masters.” But Jesus blesses the meek, the mourners, the peacemakers. He switches the focus from “those at the top are blessed by God”, to “God loves and values those on the bottom.”
Jesus challenges the Pharisees and the crowd to a new standard. Consider: do you have the attitudes and actions of Jesus or the attitudes and actions of the Pharisees.
Watch the message here:
