Sermon Theme

Week 2

The Beatitudes are not qualities required for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. A follower of Christ does not pursue spiritual bankruptcy, deep grief or shyness… to earn God’s blessing. The Beatitudes are about repentance… the change that happens when people are touched by Jesus.

Those who know they are bankrupt in spirit meet Jesus and receive citizenship in His Kingdom. Their spiritual poverty is not the blessing. Jesus is! A kingdom of heaven life is the received experience of people who now walk with Christ.

Thus, the Beatitudes describe as really blessed those who know Jesus.

This week’s thought experiment understands that each Beatitude describes experience prior to meeting Jesus contrasted with experience after meeting Jesus. Jesus, the unspoken middle of each Beatitude, is the “tipping point” of life.

This chart visually represents the Beatitudes and could help your investigation this week.