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Eight
true blessings
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[Matthew 5:3]
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven."
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While Jesus was in this world, he taught very precious words. Among these
words, we have the teachings in Matthew chapters 5 to 7. We call these
teachings the ¡®Sermon on the Mount¡¯ because they are treasure like sermons
that Jesus told on a mountain.
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4
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The first thing Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount is about the eight
kinds of a truly blessed man. We call these The Beatitudes.
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5
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Let us read the first blessing Jesus tells us.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven."
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6
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This says that those who come to meet Jesus with sincere hearts are the
ones that are blessed and that they are going to have the kingdom of heaven
as a gift.
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7
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Let us read the second blessing.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
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8
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Because of sin people have weaknesses in their hearts so they are not
able to live according to the words of God. So they come to God with a
sorrowful and sad heart.
It says that God will comfort these people.
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9
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Shall we read the third blessing?
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
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10
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Meek people are gentle, humble and have enduring patience. Though other
people do unfair things to them, they do not burst out in anger, they do not
threaten others and they do not take revenge. Jesus is saying the people who
have such gentle personalities will be blessed with the earth as their
inheritance.
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Shall we read the fourth blessing?
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be filled."
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They are the ones who are greatly interested in righteousness and doing
what pleases God. When they are not able to do that they are sad and ask for
God's forgiveness. This kind of man comes to God, asking God to help him live
a righteous life. When he does so, God fills him with blessings.
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Shall we read the fifth blessing?
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
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God shows us mercy and has compassion for us.
As we receive this grace from God, we should also have compassion for other
people and be merciful to them. When we do so, God gives us the blessing of
showing mercy to us.
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Shall we read the sixth blessing?
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
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Being pure in heart means not hiding secret intentions and having an
honest and righteous heart. Jesus told us that those who have such pure
hearts will have the blessing of seeing God.
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Shall we read the seventh blessing?
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
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Jesus came to this world and through dying on the cross, we now have
peace with God. The people of God received this grace. And as they become the
peacemakers to all other people just as Jesus did, they will be called sons
of God by other people.
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Shall we read the eighth blessing?
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
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Lastly, Jesus said those who experience difficulties while doing
righteous things to make God happy, will have the blessing of the kingdom of
heaven. Even now, there are people who have such sufferings in countries that
do not allow believing in Jesus. The kingdom of heaven is the most precious
for them so they are able to endure such sufferings.
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21
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People do all they can to be blessed. Today, Jesus clearly told us what
true blessings are.
We believe in Jesus and have received salvation. We should ask for the Holy
Spirit to help us live with the eight blessings that Jesus talked about.
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This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.
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