Living the Blessed Life: "What it Means to Be Blessed"
FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
(Matthew 5:1-6)
Presented by Minister Bridgitt Bradley Brown
Wednesday, March 6, 2025
Happiness is the new rich.
Inner peace is the new success.
Health is the new wealth.
Kindness is the new cool.
- Syed Balkhi
America's Founding Fathers wrote of the universal human right to "the pursuit of happiness." But to pursue something is no guarantee of catching it. Many have pursued a self-defined "happiness" without much to show for it.
Follow Jesus' path to blessedness, even though the direction He leads is counterintuitive: being poor in spirit, being meek, and bearing persecution patiently are qualities connected to spiritual prosperity, everlasting joy, and the enlargement of our "life and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation."
What does it really mean?
#blessed
Matthew 5:1-2 NKJV
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
Matthew 5:3 NKJV
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
BE STILL
Make Time to Spend with God
BE HONEST
Admit Your Need for God
Matthew 5:4 NKJV
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
BE OPEN
Through Your Losses, Allow the Lord to Love You
Matthew 5:5 NKJV
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
BE SATISFIED
Live a Life of Contentment
Matthew 5:6 NKJV
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
BE HUNGRY
Reach for More of God
The Beatitudes
Right With God
  • Poor in spirit
  • Mourn
  • Meek
  • Hunger / Thirst
How to be Happy
Right With Man
  • Mercy
  • Pure in Heart
  • Peacemakers
  • Persecuted
Blessed are they that Mourn
Specific - Mourns for his sin
Results - Comforted by forgiveness
Principle - Godly sorrow
Application - Repentance
The second Beatitude
The Beatitudes
Right With God
Poor in spirit
Mourn
Meek
Hunger / Thirst
How to be Happy
Right With Man
Mercy
Pure in Heart
Peacemakers
Persecuted
Poor in spirit - without pride = Teachable
Mourn - mourns for sin = Godly Sorrow
Meek - Lets God Control = Submission
The Fourth Beatitude
Specific - Hunger and thirst
Results - Filled
Principle - Desire to obey God
Application - Baptism
(Matthew 5:3-11; cf. Luke 6:20-22). The gospel of Luke is especially full of this word blessed, and it's found seven times in Revelation, once in each of the letters to the churches. Usually, when we use the English word blessed, we have in mind a state of happiness or glee: we say such things as, "I've been blessed with a day off!" or "A gift for me? I feel so blessed!"
The Greek word translated "blessed" in the Sermon on the Mount is makarios, and it's meaning is a little more nuanced than what we get from happy. The idea behind makarios is that something is made "large" or "lengthy." When God "blesses" us, He "extends" His benefits to us. He "enlarges" His mercy to us. He "lengthens" His charity in our direction. Forget the long arm of the law — this is the long arm of God's grace!
The Amplified Bible translates Matthew 5:3 with an endeavor to extract Makarios's full flavor: "Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit."
The Amplified Bible translates Matthew 5:4-6
4 "Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God's grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].
5 "Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the [b]gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed [joyful, nourished by God's goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.
Living the Blessed Life:
BE CARING
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
Living the Blessed Life:
BE CARING
7 "Blessed [content, sheltered by God's promises] are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
(Matthew 5:7 Amplified Bible)
Understanding Mercy
Definition
Mercy is goodness offered to those in misery or distress. It includes compassion shown to offenders who deserve only justice.
Understanding Mercy
God's Character
Scripture teaches that God is merciful. Paul called Him the "Father of mercies"
(2 Cor 1:3), and Psalm 103:8 declares, "The Lord is merciful and gracious."
Mercy vs. Grace
Grace
Unmerited favor to those who don't deserve it. Grace focuses on giving something positive that wasn't earned.
Mercy
Unmerited favor towards the miserable or hurting. Mercy often includes withholding justice that others deserve.
Christ perfectly demonstrated both grace and mercy throughout His ministry. He offered forgiveness to sinners who deserved punishment and extended compassion to those suffering in various ways.
Growing in the Practice of Mercy
1
Remember Your Sin
Recall your failures and how God has shown you mercy. Unless we recognize ourselves as sinners in need of grace, we will be harsh with others. It's our sinful nature to emphasize our goodness and minimize our badness.
2
Identify With Others
See-through others' eyes and walk in their shoes. Christ didn't stay in heaven but became human to identify with our struggles. By understanding the paths others have walked, it becomes easier to forgive their failures.
3
Develop Genuine Love
God wants us to not only show mercy but to love mercy (Micah 6:8). If we give without love, Paul says we gain nothing (1 Cor 13:10). Ask God to fill your heart with His love for others.
The French proverb says, "To understand all is to forgive all." By touching the broken as Jesus did, our hearts are radically changed. We stop seeing the less fortunate as outsiders and begin to empathize and work for their deliverance.
Helping Those in Desperate Circumstances
1
Old Testament Commands
Israel was instructed to care for strangers, leave portions of their harvest for the poor, and protect widows and orphans (Lev 19:34, 23:22).
2
Christ's Example
Jesus ministered primarily to the despised and downtrodden. He healed the sick, fed the poor, and proclaimed good news to the marginalized (Luke 4:18-19).
3
Early Church Practice
The apostles emphasized remembering the poor (Gal 2:10). In Acts 2:45, believers sold possessions to provide for those in need among them.
Caring for those in miserable circumstances must be the ethic and practice of Christians. As followers of Christ, we must reach out to the poor, needy, and desperate, just as Jesus did. This is not optional but our Christian duty.
Helping Those Caught in Sin
1
Recognize
Identify when someone is caught in sin, approaching the situation with spiritual discernment and gentleness (Gal 6:1-2).
2
Restore
Use Scripture to lovingly correct believers by showing them how they are thinking and acting incorrectly (Gal 6:1-5).
3
Redirect
Show them how to get right with God using Scripture and help hold them accountable (2 Tim 3:16-17).
4
Reach Out
Share the Gospel with unbelievers - the most merciful act we can perform as believers.
Christ perfectly displayed mercy toward sinners. He came to save people from their sin, telling the woman caught in adultery and a man He healed to "sin no more" (John 8:11, 5:14). He called people to repent, turn from sin, and follow Him.
Forgiving Those Who Sin Against Us

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1
Recognize God's Forgiveness
Remember how completely God has forgiven you.

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2
Release the Offense
Choose to no longer hold the sin against the person.

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3
Restore the Relationship
Work toward reconciliation when possible.

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4
Renew Your Mind
Replace bitterness with thoughts of mercy.
"Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others" (Colossians 3:13).
True forgiveness doesn't mean saying, "I forgive you, but I don't ever want to see you again." Scripture says God remembers our sins no more (Isaiah 43:25), meaning He doesn't hold them as barriers to intimacy or usefulness. We must do the same.
God's Promise to the Merciful

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1
Eternal Reward
Heavenly treasures await those who show mercy.
2
Spiritual Provision
Grace to excel in good works and ministry.
3
Practical Provision
Meeting of physical and financial needs.
4
Divine Protection
Support during times of trouble and illness.
"The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him for his good deed" (Proverbs 19:17). God promises to help the merciful in times of need, providing both practical and spiritual blessings.
"Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive" (Luke 6:38).
The Consequences of Lacking Mercy
Hindered Intimacy with God
Our relationship with God suffers.
Divine Discipline
God corrects unmerciful attitudes.
Spiritual Stagnation
Growth in Christ is stunted.
Questionable Salvation
Persistent unmerciful attitudes may indicate an unregenerate heart.
"For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13). God disciplines believers who lack mercy. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus warns that if we don't forgive others, our Father will not forgive us our sins.
The Parable of the Merciless Servant (Matthew 18) dramatically illustrates this principle. A persistent lack of mercy may even indicate that a person has never truly received God's mercy and therefore lacks salvation.
The Refreshment of Mercy
1
Promise
"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25).
2
Examples
When Christ was burnt out, angels ministered to Him. When Elijah was weary, God sent ravens with food.
3
Invitation
Jesus promised that by taking on His yoke of service, we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29).
Christ is our merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17). He identified with us, came to earth as a man, preached good news to the poor, set free captives of sin, fed the hungry, healed the sick, and died for our sins. He perfectly manifested mercy.
If Christ lives in us, His characteristic of mercy should manifest in our lives, no matter how small. Remember: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." As we practice mercy, God promises to refresh and restore us.
Living the Blessed Life:
BE CARING
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."