This week, we are starting our series on the Beatitudes. I am incredibly excited about digging into these scriptures and talking about them together.

As I began reading about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I began to daydream a little bit. Now, I love going to church and sitting and hearing the words that God has given my Pastor to speak. I say that confidently because I know that my Pastor seeks God’s heart and message for the people weekly. He takes that responsibility seriously, and I trust that to be true. I am always encouraged, challenged, convicted, and prompted to ask God how to apply it to my life. However, I think it would have been the most amazing experience to sit and hear Jesus speak and give a sermon in person. One of the things I long for when I look towards Heaven is seeing my Lord and Savior, face to face.

In my mind, I visualize what it might be like to have Jesus right there, looking right at me, and speaking the Father’s words directly into my heart.

What did Jesus want to communicate to us in the Beatitudes?

Matthew 5:1-2 – When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the Mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to HIm. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying”

The audience here was His disciples, who were with HIm and the crowd, who were mainly Jews.

As I have read the scriptures, looked through commentaries, and Bible tools, I want to share what my Life Application Study Bible said about the purpose of this sermon, the takeaway:

This “sermon” probably covered several days of preaching in it, Jesus proclaimed His attitude towards the law. Position, authority, and money are not important in His Kingdom – what matters is faithful obedience from the heart. The Sermon on the Mount challenged the proud and legalistic, religious leaders of the day. It called them back to the messages of the Old Testament prophets who, like Jesus, taught that heartfelt obedience is more important than legalistic observance.

The more I learn and study these scriptures, the more I see how important it was for Jesus to show us the Father’s heart. The Sermon on the Mount shows who God is and what He really desires from us. These scriptures are freedom for our minds and hearts.

Many of us have grown up in or are still in places where it’s all about “following the law,” “Doing the right thing,” and /or following traditions. None of these things is wrong in itself, but we have to ask ourselves openly and honestly, “Why” are we doing these things?

Are we afraid of being in trouble? Are there fears of what other people will think of you if you don’t do these things perfectly?

I remember when our kids were younger, my husband would often say to them that his desire was that they would get to a place where they would obey or want to obey out of their love for us instead of the fear of getting in trouble and consequences.

That is God’s desire, too, as our Heavenly Father.

1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out all fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

I love that we can trust God’s perfect love for us.

1 John 1 :9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I love that we can trust God’s perfect love for us. We don’t have to be afraid. God’s word says that when we genuinely confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us. God’s heart is for us to obey Him out of our love for Him. He knows we aren’t perfect; that is why we need Jesus. He promises that when we go to Him, confess our sins, and admit we messed up, He will forgive us. We don’t have to live fearing messing up or falling short because He will love us through it. Sometimes there are consequences, some of which can be hard, but there is no condemnation in Jesus. He uses it all to grow us and promises to be with us through it.

This audience had been taught all the rules, laws, regulations, and traditions, and I am sure many of them were proud of how well they followed them all. But do they know God? Do they know His heart and His love for them? Is there a relationship with Him? Because that is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing!

This week take some time to ask yourself some questions:

Do I know the truth that God desires faithful obedience over following Him legalistically and religiously?

Do I fear messing up and not being perfect?

Do I fear getting in trouble or getting caught?

Do I avoid God when I mess up because of fear, or do I run to Him and confess my sins, trusting His word to be true that He will forgive me and help me do these things better?

Are there past experiences that are holding me back in this area? Ask God to reveal them and write them down.

God wants a relationship with us. It is what we were created for, and over the next several weeks, we will talk more about what that looks like.

Have a beautiful and blessed week!