Matthew 5:1-5 ¶ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then 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.
The Sermon on the Mount can only be properly applied by the Holy Spirit. Character change does not come by choosing; it comes by applying God’s principles to our weakness. The Beatitudes stand as an enigma to the non-believer. They challenge our pride, destroy our independence and ignore our ego; demanding we are to place all ambition and hope in the love, mercy and grace of our Lord. The most difficult is the move from self-righteousness behavior to truly righteous thinking – those who think right will act right. All can agree that there should be social standards for behavior, but God is far more concerned with my motive than my behavior. The sinful man will not tolerate the challenge found in Matthew 5, because it destroys his core values. The Beatitudes are revealed to break the sin (rebellious) nature. The sins committed were cleansed on the Cross, but the transforming of our nature is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our acts of sin are completely forgiven on the mount. Behavior does not define character because it can be changed by will and circumstances – true transformation, on the other hand, stands firm in responding to conviction and humble repentance.
Read through the Bible in one year – Mar. 28/ Luke 4:31-44; Judg. 4,5,6
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