The Beatitudes

Hallelujah! Whenever I visit a restaurant, whether it’s a Korean place displaying a sign about humble beginnings and prosperous futures or a Chinese place with the character for “Blessing,” the underlying message is always the same: “Come in, and you will be blessed!” We all naturally want blessings. Today, let’s reflect on the true blessings that never fade—the Beatitudes—and receive grace together. Amen?

Blessings can be divided into two categories: those from the world, and those from heaven. 1 John 2:15 warns us not to love the world or its desires, because they do not come from the Father. We cannot be double-minded or serve both money and God. The true, eternal blessing is not the decaying things of this world, but God Himself as our reward, just as He promised Abraham, ” I am your very great reward.” Does this mean we shouldn’t ask for earthly needs? No, but it’s a matter of priorities. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek His kingdom and righteousness first, and all these things will be given to us as well.

The Beatitudes appear at the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount because this inner transformation must happen first before we can carry out Christ’s teachings according to God’s will. In Greek, the word for blessing is Makarios, signifying the highest eternal blessing. Having the spirit of the Beatitudes means God’s own heart is formed within us. To carry out God’s will, we must receive His heart. This is only possible when our old, fleshly self is crucified with Christ, allowing His resurrected life to live through us.

However, many Christians misunderstand the Sermon on the Mount, thinking it rigidly emphasizes outward deeds. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says that only those who do the will of the Father enter heaven. This is not about mere human effort. Matthew 5:20 warns that unless our righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, we cannot enter heaven. The Pharisees zealously kept the Law, but they did it according to their own will, which built up self-righteousness.

Naturally, we must obey the Lord with zeal. But if we act according to our own desires to display our own glory, it harms us. That is why Jesus rebukes those who performed miracles but did not align with His heart, calling them evildoers. To obtain the righteousness required to enter heaven by keeping the Sermon on the Mount and all the commandments the Father’s way, we must first become a source of blessing—someone who possesses the spirit of the Beatitudes! Amen?

Importantly, Makarios does not refer to subjective happiness based on our feelings or circumstances, but an objective state of being blessed by God. When Jesus calls you “blessed,” it is a divine declaration. Think about justification by faith? It means that when we simply accept by faith that God considers us righteous, we become legally righteous. Even to Joseph, who was wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt and stripped of all hope, God declared that he was prosperous. Likewise, in any circumstances, if we accept by faith God’s declaration that we are “blessed,” we actually become blessed beings. “Blessed”—this is our spiritual identity. Amen? The power of blessing is already within you to enjoy and share. It is a present reality we can experience right here and now on this earth.

I earnestly pray that we may possess the spirit of the Beatitudes—experiencing the power of the kingdom of heaven just as God has already declared over us—and live a righteous life as the “blessed” who walk according to the Father’s will. Amen.