Sermon on the Mount

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Those Who Mourn | Matthew 5:5

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

I’ve had to wrestle with this verse this week, because, in my flesh, I have a lot of reasons not to choose meekness. But Jesus talks about meekness, and blesses the meek. And this is important: He’s not praising passivity or a lack of conviction. In Scripture, meekness is about gentleness and humility, especially in how we relate to God and to others. It’s the posture of someone who doesn’t feel the need to be harsh, domineering, or reactive. Jesus Himself describes His own heart this way: “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Meekness grows out of trusting God enough to live without posturing or self-promotion.

This fits naturally with the flow of the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3) reminds us that we begin by recognizing our dependence on God. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4) shows us what happens when we bring that reality honestly before Him. Meekness is what that inward posture starts to look like on the outside. Humility before God slowly shapes gentleness toward people.

That doesn’t mean meek people are inactive or silent. Scripture never presents meekness that way. Moses is called “very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3), yet he confronted Pharaoh and led Israel with courage. Meekness doesn’t remove strength or conviction. It shapes the way they are expressed. Paul expresses this concept when he urges believers to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)

Jesus gives us a very clear picture of this posture in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the night before the cross, He prays honestly, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” and then submits fully, saying, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus is neither resentful nor resistant. He entrusts Himself to the Father with humility and obedience, embodying gentleness even in the face of suffering (Hebrews 5:7–8).

And finally, we need to remember that Jesus attaches a promise: “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5), echoing Psalm 37:11. Inheritance in this case isn’t seized or demanded. It’s received from God. The meek are willing to walk humbly and respond gently, trusting that God is faithful with what comes next. And Jesus says that kind of life, shaped by humility and gentleness, is blessed. It reminds me of Micah 6:8, and I think we all ought to consider living by this standard: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” May we do this very thing!

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Blessed are those Who Mourn

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

I’ve got so many thoughts about this verse tonight. Jesus doesn’t start the Beatitudes at random. Everything flows out of the first one: being poor in spirit. That’s the place where we recognize we’ve got nothing to offer God but our need. No pretending. No self-reliance. When someone’l is poor in spirit, their heart is already open, already humbled, already aware that they need God. That’s why mourning comes next. This isn’t just feeling sad. It’s the grief of someone who knows they can’t carry the weight on their own.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, and for a lot of people this season isn’t joyful at all. There’s a heaviness that settles in when loss is present, and right now our community is walking through tragedy. I can only imagine what those closest to it are feeling. Christmas has a way of magnifying grief. Empty seats feel louder. Memories hit harder. And the pressure to feel happy can make the pain feel even more isolating.

But Jesus says those who mourn are blessed. Not because loss is good, but because God draws near. Scripture tells us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. God’s comfort isn’t distant or generic. It’s personal. It’s for the one who’s already poor in spirit, already aware of their need, already coming to Him without pretense. When mourning flows from that place, it becomes the very space where God meets us.

God’s heart is tender toward those who are hurting. Whether the loss is a loved one, a relationship, a season of life, or something hard to put into words, if there’s real mourning taking place, God’s heart is for you… And the beautiful thing is that Christmas reminds us God didn’t stay far off from our pain. He stepped into it. Jesus entered our world and experienced what we experience so He could save those who come to Him empty and honest. The promise still stands: comfort is coming. Rest in that promise tonight. God loves you!

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The Sermon on the Mount | Matthew 5:3

For the longest time, I would say to myself, “If anything is gonna get done, I’ve gotta do it myself.”

At first, it wasn’t a bad thing. When I was younger, working early mornings and dragging myself out of bed at 5 AM, that phrase was a pep talk. It was how I motivated myself to work hard, to show up, to not quit when it was uncomfortable. In those early years, it felt like discipline.

But over time, that same statement slowly changed. What started as motivation turned into cynicism. I began to believe it. Whether it was coworkers, co-leaders, or people close to me, I carried the quiet assumption that if something really mattered, I was on my own. I didn’t just work hard, I carried everything. And eventually, that mindset nearly broke me. I came dangerously close to burning myself out, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

That’s why Matthew 5:3 still convicts me deeply today:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus isn’t blessing laziness or passivity. He’s blessing those who know they are spiritually bankrupt apart from God. To be poor in spirit is to abandon the illusion of self-sufficiency. It is to stop believing that strength, effectiveness, or worth comes from our ability to carry everything ourselves. The kingdom of heaven does not belong to the spiritually impressive, the hyper-competent, or the self-reliant. It belongs to those who know they need mercy, grace, and God’s sustaining power at every level of life.

I’m slowly learning this. Slowly, but surely. I’m learning to be poor in spirit. I try to live with that reminder as often as I can, because I truly do want to inherit the kingdom. And that means resisting pride in every form. Spiritual pride. Pride in work ethic. Pride in position. Pride in achievements. Pride in finances. Pride in gifting. Pride that whispers, “I’ve got this,” when what God is inviting us to say is, “Lord, I need You.”

The kingdom doesn’t advance through people who carry everything. It advances through people who know they can’t.