Beatitudes - Sermon on the MountSample

Jesus was beginning to teach His disciples and followers what life was like in God's Kingdom. They were sitting on the mountainside, and Jesus had begun speaking what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. Everyone leaned in to hear what Jesus said about how they would be blessed. Everyone wants to be blessed, right? What Jesus said next may have taken them by surprise. Jesus taught that we are blessed when we’re mistreated for doing good.

Are you blessed when you suffer? Blessed when people make fun of you and hurt you? God's Kingdom does seem back to front! When someone mistreats you, feelings of anger, revenge, sadness, and frustration immediately boil up. But life in God's Kingdom is different.

A life focused on Jesus and being part of His Kingdom doesn’t mean all our troubles fade away. But Jesus promised that we would be blessed. You're blessed when you put God first.