Jesus' Sermon - The Beattitudes

The word "beatitude" is derived from the Latin "beatus," which means blessed or happy. This designation is appropriate because each teaching begins with the word "blessed."

Setting

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying...

Beatitudes

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

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Light of the world

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Man and Natural law

The cornerstone of Jesus' life is love, not just for those who we are close to, but for those who hate and hurt us. This love is not easy, no-one ever claimed it was, but this love is what the world needs. If only we stopped hating those who hate us, or even just stopped ignoring those who are rejected by society, the world, our neighbours, and thus ourselves would be happier and more peaceful.
The other rock on which Jesus built his life was on that of sincerity. Jesus wanted us to truly be the men who we claimed to be. We should not give the impression of love and then hate. We should not give the appearance of purity and then defile ourselves. Such restraint, such self-command is difficult, nearly impossible, but when we try to be truly good men then we can accomplish great things.
To follow Christ is to live a life in line with the natural law which is imprinted on our hearts but which we ignore so often and so subtly that we forget it exists at all.

Message of Jesus - OUR FATHER

Having shown men how they should live loving, sincere, humble lives, Jesus also began telling them about how they should think of God. Within each of us there is something that tells us there is a God, some kind of higher power, some force governing the world, yet it is beyond our understanding as to what exactly this Being is.
Jesus tried to reveal this higher power to us in a very simple, yet a truly radical way. Jesus told us to think of God as our Father, as a loving, kind, generous parent who has given us life and will provide for us in the times ahead.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11) more...
Jesus' relationship with the Father was unique as his Spirit was divine, but we too can be children of God. This way of thinking about God changes our whole conception of life. It give us confidence and strength during even the toughest times, and comforts us in the moments of despair.
Jesus' teaching on the Heavenly Father was a truly revolutionary step forward in philosophy and religion. By thinking of God as our Father we can face the world with confidence knowing that He will work everything out for the best. However it also places on us the responsibility of living as the children of God, a truly great family that we must never bring shame upon.

Message of Jesus - FORGIVENESS

For Jesus it was important not only that we try to reach these standards of love and sincerity but also that we realise the occasions when we do not. Once we have understood what we have done wrong we can ask for forgiveness, and then make a serious effort to correct our mistakes. It is only when we do this that we can truly be a follower of God.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14) more...
The forgiveness of our sins is not without a cost because when we break laws, whether they be civil or divine, we should expect to face some consequences. However the price of our forgiveness was paid in a remarkable, symbolic way when Jesus suffered and died in our place. He explained this sacrifice by using bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)
All of the followers of Jesus are joined together in a mystical union to make up one body, of which Christ is the head. When Jesus died it was like this whole body of believers died in him, and so his death becomes a meaningful sacrifice for the wrong doing of all believers.
We must humble ourselves in a way that allows us to truly understand what we have done, what we deserve, and what Jesus gave up so that we could be free. When we do this we will finally realise how much God has done for us.