Jesus Reveals the Laws of Supreme Blessing, Part 1

TEXT: Matthew 5:1-12

Everyone wants to have a blessed existence, a happy life, a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Thousands of books have been written claiming to unveil the "secrets" to such a life. Millions buy these books hoping to turn their lives around. But, more often than not, they don't find the solutions for which they seek. Two thousand years ago, however, Jesus of Nazareth, revealed the secrets to the life of supreme blessedness. This section of His Sermon on the Mount is called the "beatitudes"; the word means "supreme blessedness." The nine beatitudes that Jesus gives -- the secrets to supreme blessedness -- are revolutionary for two reasons. First, they emphasized such things as humility and service, things which the world sees as weak or impediments to success. Second, each of Jesus' secrets to supreme blessedness are connected to one's spiritual well-being, another element which our increasingly secular world usually discounts.