Church of the Beatitudes, built on the traditional site of Jesus' delivery of the Sermon on the Mount


On top of the mountain, Jesus preached the precious message to a multitude. It is called the 'Sermon on the Mount'. To the people who would soon disappear like fog, Jesus taught about the eternal blessing, namely the true blessings to go into the kingdom of heaven. This message is the 'Beatitudes'. It is a signpost for us to be able to check ourselves and to enter into the city of New Jerusalem housing the throne of God. Let's delve into it!



"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:3)

To be 'poor in spirit' is having a heart that has no pride, arrogance, selfishness, personal desires, or evil. Thus, those who are 'poor in spirit' accept the gospel easily. And after accepting Jesus Christ, they long for spiritual things. They are also able to change quickly by the power of God.
To become poor in spirit, we need to cast off the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. In other words, we always have to find the evil in us through the Word, cast it off through fervent prayer, and become spiritual children. Only then will we be able to enjoy the eternal blessing, that is, Heaven.


"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
(Matthew 5:4)

Here, 'mourning' means spiritual mourning for the kingdom and righteousness of God, not fleshly mourning that is caused by one's own sorrow and selfish desire. To have spiritual mourning, above all, we have to have spiritual love in us. There is the mourning of repentance which is repenting of our sins or not fulfilling our duties. There are also the mourning for brothers in faith and the mourning to save more souls. When we spiritually mourn, God gives us what we need, and even more than enough. He also gives us rewards in the heavenly kingdom.


"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
(Matthew 5:5).

Those who are spiritually gentle are strong and brave in the truth while at the same time they have mild and soft temperaments like cotton. Because they are virtuous as well as good and gentle, they can forgive others of their faults, understand them and embrace them. Many people are able to find rest in them and enjoy peace in them. Since they lead many people to salvation in this way, they can receive vast areas of land in Heaven.


"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)

Righteousness here is to follow the will of God and to practice the Word of God who is goodness and truth itself. Just as those who are hungry and thirsty look for food and water earnestly, we have to hunger and thirst after righteousness to accomplish it. In order to fulfill our spiritual hunger and thirst, we need to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.
It means to take in and keep the Word of God diligently and practice it. If we keep listening to the Word and practice it as we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we can then achieve the heart of spirit that has no untruth. This is spiritual fullness given to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.


"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
(Matthew 5:7)

'Mercy' is to understand, forgive, and guide others to the right way even though they do evil to us for no reason. It is not to think from our own standpoint following our own benefit but to think from the standpoint of the others, so that we can understand them and show mercy to them.
'Mercy' is revealed outwardly in many different ways. There is mercy in forgiveness, punishment, and charitable works. If we can forgive us of and show mercy to others, God will forgive us of our iniquities and have mercy on us.


"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
(Matthew 5:8)

'To be pure in the heart' means to act in a holy manner not only on the outside with knowledge and education, but we also have to have a holy and sanctified heart. We can have pure hearts to the extent that we cast off evil from our hearts, practice God's Word, and fill ourselves with the truth. To do this, what we need is our effort and willpower to practice His Word but also we need the help of the Holy Spirit and God's grace and strength. The blessings of 'seeing God' here indicates not just to see the image of the Father God but also to receive the answers to their hearts' desires and prayers and to meet and experience God in their lives.


"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
(Matthew 5:9)

The spiritual meaning of peace is to sacrifice ourselves even to give our lives to others. Only after we have peace with God by destroying the wall of sin standing between God and us and gain peace with ourselves by casting off untruthful things such as hatred can we have peace with others.
If we sacrifice ourselves in everything and cast away every form of evil we can pursue peace and be called sons of God. We can also be a partaker in the spiritual authority and power that Jesus had (Matthew 10:1). Furthermore, we will enter into New Jerusalem that houses God's throne and we will then enjoy the honor and glory as God's true children.


"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:10)

When we live by the Word of God following truth we sometimes face persecutions as written in 2 Timothy 3:12. Just as the darkness disappears where there is light, when the number of believers in the Lord, who is the Light, increases, the ruling power of the enemy devil and Satan will decrease. The enemy devil and Satan control the worldly people who belong to them. They incite them to persecute believers so that they will not lead a proper Christian life.
The reason why we can rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted for the Lord's name's sake is because great will be our reward in the heavenly kingdom. By overcoming persecutions, our faith will grow up and we can advance into better places in the heavenly kingdom.


_Excerpts from A Man Who Pursues True Blessing authored by Dr. Jaerock Lee