1. The foundational block is our Cornerstone!

2. To discover the pathway God has for us, we need His wisdom.

3. To grasp the significance of our relationship to Christ, we need to understand His atonement for us.

4. To grow in our new relationship, we need to receive the New Covenant and our Mediator!

5. Jesus' title that He most used, Son of Man, helps us to understand His great love for us.

6. And the result of following His commands is a blessed life!

1. Blessings in Christ are both present and future. For example, the Beatitudes begin and end with present blessings where 2-7 are future promises.

2. All of God's blessings are contingent upon an action on our part. His blessings are the same as His promises. "If you...then I will."

3. The Sermon on the Mount is the longest sermon on record with 111 verses in Matthew 5-7.

4. The entire message was counterculture and shared with both His disciples and the crowds that followed.

5. This same teacher healed the sick, cast out demons, and calmed the storm. This message was given to teach the gospel of the Kingdom! Jesus asserted His words above Moses and from God.

1. God blesses those who realize their complete dependence on God. Seeing ourselves honestly before God. The blessing is the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. God blesses those who honestly see their need for God and have sorrow for their sin. We must have a clear and decisive change in our lives by understanding repentance. The blessing is comfort!

3. God blesses those who trust Him, commit their way to Him, and wait on Him. Our attitude cannot be defensive or vengeful. The blessing is earth ownership!

4. God blesses those who have a longing and desire to be more like Jesus. This hunger and thirst drives them to want the other attitudes. The blessing is a satisfied life.

5. God blesses those who show mercy to others. Mercy sees distress, feels compassion, and puts into action that heart for change, no matter who the person is! The blessing is you will in turn receive mercy.

6. God blesses those who have a pure heart. A pure heart sees life through the lens of Jesus! The blessing is that you will have a vision of God.

7. God blesses those who are peacemakers. A peacemaker is not seeking to stir up or invite trouble, but rather seeks to bring reconciliation and peace. Peace is not always attainable but as Romans 12:18 says, "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." Peace does not mean compromising our biblical values. The blessing is an awesome title!

8. God blesses those who suffer for His sake. A promise of deliverance is not necessarily given, but a life for eternity with treasures in heaven is promised. (Every 6 minutes, someone in the world is giving their life for Christ! 900,000 in the last decade...90,000 every year!)

1. A complete dependency on God?

2. A sorrow for my sin...enough to quit?

3. A humility before God and others?

4. A hunger and thirst to be like Jesus?

5. A heart to show mercy to those I disagree with or who have hurt me?

6. A pure heart to see the world like Jesus?

7. A desire to be a greater peacemaker in a very divided world?

8. A willingness to stand for the right, even if it costs me?