http://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+5:1-12 (Matthew 5:1-12) I remember being asked as a kid, What do you want to be when you grow up? Maybe you were asked that question too. I gave a variety of answers: fireman, ballplayer, actor, teacher. One time I even said I’d like to be a pastor. When our little girl Martha was asked that question one day, she replied, “I want to be the President of the United States!” Imagine asking Jesus, What do you want us to be when we grow up? Jesus points out the answer to that question in today’s biblical text. He holds up a character portrait of what He has in mind for us. However, Jesus focuses not on careers but on character. The portion of Scripture I read earlier is referred to as the Beatitudes. I like to refer to them as the “Be-Distinct Attitudes.” In order to better understand them, we need to examine the context and what has transpired so far in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus has begun His ministry. He has come into this world proclaiming the Kingdom that had long been promised throughout the Old Testament. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” He’s called disciples to follow Him. The crowds are starting to move in His direction as they take notice of Him through His miracles and different sorts of teachings. At this point in the story, Jesus takes His disciples to a mountain and begins to teach them about what kingdom-of-heaven people look like as far as character is concerned. This talk from Jesus in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 has been referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It’s important to understand that the Beatitudes are not a recipe on how to gain salvation. It’s being spoken to those who have said yes to Jesus Christ, have received salvation, and are now wondering what God has in mind for them. How can I live my life in a way that expresses my gratitude and love to God for all He has done for me? Notice, each of these statements begins with the word “blessed.”Over the years, people have pointed out that it means happy. Some translations of Scripture even replace the word blessed with happy. Blessed does mean happy, but not in the way we think of happiness. It’s not a prescription for happiness. The word blessed is not so much about how we feel but about what God thinks of us, what has His approval, which, of course, leads to happiness because God knows what makes our life work best. I like the way the New Living Translation puts it. Instead of “blessed are . . .” it says “God blesses those who are poor in spirit, . . .” The first four Beatitudes describe what our relationship with God is to look like. It begins by saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those who, in other words, know they need God. It means a humble dependence upon God, and an acknowledgment of our spiritual bankruptcy before God. We really need Him, and we’re sunk without Him. It’s like the old gospel song – Rock of Ages – says, “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to the cross I cling. Naked come to thee for dress; helpless look to thee for grace; Foul I to the fountain fly; wash me Savior or I die.” Each Beatitude has a promise attached to it. When Jesus says, “for they shall receive the kingdom of heaven,” it means we will step into a meaningful relationship with God and be a citizen of His kingdom. Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus is not talking about those who are grieving over personal loss. He is talking about those who lament over sin in their life. As we take an honest inventory of how we fall short, tears of deep contrition for sin fall. Godly grief and sorrow. When we look at the world around us, we begin to mourn over the evil and sin in this world God created. Jesus says those who mourn will be comforted with forgiveness. A vision of a new heaven and a new earth will be ours to enjoy with no more sorrow and no more tears, as the book of Revelation tells us. Blessed are the meek. He’s talking about those...