This summer we’re studying one of Jesus’ most famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount. In this blog Pastor Daron talks about what it actually means to be “blessed.”
SORT OF HAPPY OR SO HAPPY?
The Beatitudes, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, are about being “blessed.” The word “blessed” describes a person who is so happy at being in God’s favor. In fact, the meaning of the word “blessed” describes such a high degree of happiness at being in God’s favor that others want to be “blessed” like that too.
A problem we can experience as followers of Jesus is that we sometimes miss being so happy and settle for being sort of happy. There is a huge difference. So happy is a much fuller experience than sort of happy. Jesus Himself told us He came so that we could experience life to the full (John 10:10). Yes, this fullness certainly includes trusting in Jesus as the One who rescues us from sin, but it also includes trusting Jesus with each day as our Lord (the One who leads us into a greater fullness, even throughout our life on earth).
This experience of being so happy in the favor of God and moving toward the fullness that Jesus describes requires some key steps.
First, we must better understand who Jesus is and what He is teaching us. As we intentionally invest time each day in God’s Word, we get a much better sense of Jesus and His teaching.
Second, it is important to realize that only learning about Jesus is to stop short of truly understanding Him. We must also commit to run with Him and obey His incredible teaching that leads to full life.
Third, when we understand Jesus and run with Him, we will find ourselves witnessing the amazing things of eternity. At this point we can’t help but tell others about it. This is simply the idea of helping others understand who Jesus is and what He is teaching.
The question that leaves us with is: How do we take steps away from being sort of happy toward being so happy? Where do I start to move more toward the full life Jesus is telling us about?
As we study the Beatitudes in LifeGroups and learn about the Sermon on the Mount in the worship service, let’s take the 28-day challenge at home. There are 28 chapters in the book of Matthew. Commit for 28 days to read one chapter a day, and ask these three questions as you are reading:
What is God telling me to believe?
What is God telling me to do?
How can I put this into practice this week?
Seriously taken, this 28-day walk through Matthew with these three questions, will make a real difference for us as individuals, as families, and as a church. As we move toward the full life Jesus leads us to understand and live, let’s declare what it means to live so happy in the favor of God.