September 19th, 2025
Revisit Sunday's Message
When Jesus saw the crowd, he went up the side of a mountain, sat down, and began to teach. His very first words?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… Blessed are the persecuted.”
Jesus begins his most famous sermon not with commands or instructions but with blessings. That matters.
How things start often tell us what’s coming. You hear “Are you ready for some football?” and you know what’s next. You see “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and you know a story is about to unfold. Jesus’ beginning is no accident. He could have started the Sermon on the Mount with demands. Instead, he begins with blessings. Why? Because it’s impossible to live the Sermon on the Mount without first receiving the blessing of God’s presence.
The Greek word Jesus uses here is makarios. Some translate it “happy,” but it’s deeper than that. Happiness is tied to circumstance. Makarios is about relationship—about receiving God’s grace and presence no matter the situation. That’s why Jesus blesses the poor, the grieving, the meek, the persecuted. These are the very people who usually feel forgotten. Jesus says: you are not forgotten. God is present with you.
Three weeks ago, I moved my oldest daughter into college. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And while she may be physically absent, she’s certainly not absent from thought, prayer, or presence in our lives. That’s how God is with us. Even when circumstances feel like absence, God is not far away. His blessing is his presence, right in the middle of our grief, our struggle, our weakness.
Isaiah 35 reminds God’s people: “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come… he will come to save you.” And Jesus himself says in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Before Jesus calls anyone to obey, he calls them blessed. Before the commands, before the challenges, he starts with this truth: blessedness springs from relationship, not circumstance.
So if today you feel weary, uncertain, overlooked, or forgotten, hear this again: you are blessed. You are not alone. God is with you. That’s the starting point of the Sermon on the Mount. That’s the beginning of life on the mountain with Jesus.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… Blessed are the persecuted.”
Jesus begins his most famous sermon not with commands or instructions but with blessings. That matters.
How things start often tell us what’s coming. You hear “Are you ready for some football?” and you know what’s next. You see “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and you know a story is about to unfold. Jesus’ beginning is no accident. He could have started the Sermon on the Mount with demands. Instead, he begins with blessings. Why? Because it’s impossible to live the Sermon on the Mount without first receiving the blessing of God’s presence.
The Greek word Jesus uses here is makarios. Some translate it “happy,” but it’s deeper than that. Happiness is tied to circumstance. Makarios is about relationship—about receiving God’s grace and presence no matter the situation. That’s why Jesus blesses the poor, the grieving, the meek, the persecuted. These are the very people who usually feel forgotten. Jesus says: you are not forgotten. God is present with you.
Three weeks ago, I moved my oldest daughter into college. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And while she may be physically absent, she’s certainly not absent from thought, prayer, or presence in our lives. That’s how God is with us. Even when circumstances feel like absence, God is not far away. His blessing is his presence, right in the middle of our grief, our struggle, our weakness.
Isaiah 35 reminds God’s people: “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come… he will come to save you.” And Jesus himself says in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Before Jesus calls anyone to obey, he calls them blessed. Before the commands, before the challenges, he starts with this truth: blessedness springs from relationship, not circumstance.
So if today you feel weary, uncertain, overlooked, or forgotten, hear this again: you are blessed. You are not alone. God is with you. That’s the starting point of the Sermon on the Mount. That’s the beginning of life on the mountain with Jesus.
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