Category Archives: Counter Culture

For the next few days, we will be examining the beatitudes which Jesus outlines at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. In what has been described as the greatest sermon ever preached Jesus outlines the counter cultural values of his kingdom and instructs us how we are to swim against the current ofContinue reading “Blessed are the poor in spirit | Part 1”

There is a natural progression in the order of these beatitudes. They are like a stack of dominoes that are carefully erected. When you push the first one over the rest come tumbling down. The first domino is poverty of spirit which we looked at last time. You can never mourn over sin or beContinue reading “Blessed are those who mourn | Part 2”

The world despises meekness. In this third beatitude we see that God highly prizes it. What the world scoffs at the Lord values. In 2013 a painting that had laid in an attic for over a hundred years was taken out for proper authentication. It turned out that it was a Vincent Van Gogh originalContinue reading “Blessed are the meek | Part 3”

When your dog loses its appetite you know that it has got a problem. You had better make an appointment with the vet. When a baby suddenly does not want to drink you know that you have a problem. Make an appointment with the doctor! When a Christian loses their appetite for God you haveContinue reading “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness | Part 4”

The first four beatitudes line up with the last four. The first four are inner attitudes and the last four are their outward manifestation. When we have poverty of spirit and we realise that we are nothing but beggars, we will be willing to give to another beggar – we will be merciful. When weContinue reading “Blessed are the merciful | Part 5”

Those people with heart conditions need to make regular trips to the cardiologist. An ECG will be taken and compared with the last one to see whether they are significant changes. If there are then you will have to be booked in for an angiogram for further investigation and if another artery is blocked, thenContinue reading “Blessed are the pure in heart | Part 6”

The twentieth century was hailed by many as the beginning of a millennium of peace and prosperity, but this proved to be empty idealism. In WWI, believed to be the war to end all wars, 30 million people died. In a few decades the world was caught up in a second global conflict that claimedContinue reading “Blessed are the peacemakers | Part 7”

These beatitudes end on a surprising note. Blessed are those who are persecuted. Why do you think Jesus ends with this beatitude? The extent to which we live the first seven beatitudes is the extent to which we will experience the last. The range of suffering that we ought to expect as Christians is madeContinue reading “Blessed are those who are persecuted | Part 8”