“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 meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:3-6
Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to be satisfied? Jesus provides a vivid description of the kind of person God blesses in many different ways. But they aren’t the qualities any of us would guess would lead to a happy and fulfilled life. Humility. Grief. Meekness. Hunger. Compassion. Purity. Peacemaking. Persecution.
Nevertheless, these are the qualities Jesus says lead to “the good life.”
Pastor Colin S. Smith wrote a fantastic book on spiritual growth called Momentum. There is also a video based Bible study that covers the same material, which we will offer in Oakwood Mill January through March 2026 (9:15-10:15 a.m. Sunday mornings).
“The beatitudes tell you what a true Christian looks like. They don’t describe the process by which a person becomes a Christian… The order of the beatitudes shows us how to make progress in the Christian life… each one propels you toward the next.” Momentum, Colin Smith p. 13, 15
“Grace isn’t a stepping stone on which we rest for a moment before moving on to something else. Rather, grace is the solid foundation where we stand at the beginning of the Christian life and where we remain until its end… The pursuit of holiness is the distinguishing mark of a person who stands in grace.” Momentum, Colin Smith p. 22
Pastor Colin follows Martin Lloyd Jones who followed Charles Spurgeon who interpreted the beatitudes as sequential — each one propelling you to the next, thereby building momentum in your Christian life. It is vital not to misinterpret this presentation as if the beatitudes provide a pathway toward self-salvation by works. Exactly the opposite, in fact, is true!
The beatitudes show us how to “stand in grace while striving for growth.”
Notice how the beatitudes begin and end with the promise, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is starting His epic sermon on the mount with a clear description of what a citizen of His kingdom looks like. The repeated refrain of this introduction is “blessed… blessed… blessed…” nine times over, followed by “rejoice.”
In his introduction to Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes it clear that the beatitudes describe all Christians, not just the super-spiritual ones. And All nine of the characteristics should be present in all who follow Jesus, not just one or two here and there. These should not be taken as personality types as if one Christian is more merciful and another is more meek. No. All of these are perfectly present in the Lord Jesus and therefore will be present in all of His followers and in ways that grow over time.
Pastor Colin helpfully points out that the order is important, especially the first one:
“Empty-handedness leads you to worship Jesus. The more you see in yourself, the less you’ll see in Christ. But the more you see in Christ, the less you’ll see in yourself. Spurgeon has said, ‘Christ is never precious until we are poor in spirit, we must see our own wants before we can perceive his wealth; pride blinds the eyes, and sincere humility must open them…’” Momentum, Colin Smith p. 39
This is really practical when you begin to understand the Christian life. You may want total purity of heart and feel the conflict within yourself. You may desperately want to make peace with someone who has harmed you but struggle to know how to forgive and reconcile with them. The good news of the beatitudes is that you can start with prayerfully embracing your poverty (“I bring nothing”) and from that first stepping stone or gymnasium ring you can move to the next, then the next, then the next. Over time you will build “momentum” in your growth and maturity, until purity and mercy are the things that come naturally and impurity and conflict begin to feel unusual and difficult for you to sustain.
One more way to think of the beatitudes is to divide the progression into three stages:
In The Jesus Way sermon series (Nov. 2025 through July 2026) we will begin with the beatitudes and then journey through the whole sermon on the mount. This message was Jesus’ introductory manifesto announcing and describing His kingdom. How can sinful people be rooted in the grace of God? How can we grow into the righteousness that Jesus’ kingdom demands? How can we bear fruit “in keeping with repentance”? The beatitudes show the way right at the start of the sermon and Jesus’ public ministry!
So. Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to be rooted more deeply in the grace of Jesus? Do you want to grow more and more into the righteousness of Jesus? Do you want to bear more fruit for the kingdom of Jesus? Well, then this sermon series is for you! Come build some momentum in your Christian life as together we follow “the Jesus way.”