EP115: The Beatitudes & The Teachings of Jesus Part 1

Jesus begins His greatest sermon with words that turn the world upside down the Beatitudes. In this Sunday episode, we dive into Matthew 5 1-12, exploring what it truly means to be blessed, to mourn, to be humble, merciful, pure, and at peace. These aren’t just blessings they’re blueprints for a Kingdom life.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The wooden cricket. What's up family?
Happy Sunday and welcome back tothe Wooden Cricket Podcast.
I'm Lawrence. And yo, today we're kicking off

(00:25):
something brand new, something real special.
This new series is called The Teachings of Jesus.
And over the next little while, we're diving right into the
words that came straight from the mouth of our Savior.
Not just stories about him, but the words that he spoke.
And it starts right here on a hillside, the sun shining, the

(00:49):
people gathered close. Jesus sits down, looks at the
crowd and begins to teach what we now call the Beatitudes, or
as I like to think of them, the beautiful attitudes of the
Kingdom of heaven. So grab your coffee, take a deep
breath, and let's get into Matthew chapter 5 verses one

(01:10):
through 12. One day, as he saw the crowds
gathering, Jesus went up on the mountain side and sat down.
His disciples gathered around him and he began to teach them.
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him,

(01:33):
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
That's where it all begins. Not with power, not with money,
not with influence, but with need.
The Kingdom of God starts when we realize we can't do it
without Him. We can have everything this
world offers, but if we don't have Jesus, we've got nothing.

(01:58):
And if we've got Jesus, well, we've got everything.
It goes on to say God blesses those who mourn, for they will
be comforted. Jesus isn't promising, will
never hurt. He's promising.
He'll be with us in the hurt When your world breaks apart.

(02:21):
He's the one that's beside you in the rubble when you cry.
He doesn't pull away. He draws closer.
Then he turns mourning into comfort, sorrow into peace.
He continues on. God blesses those who are
humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

(02:44):
The world celebrates loudness, but Jesus celebrates gentleness.
You don't have to shout to be strong, you just have to stand
in grace. The humble don't fight for their
own name. They carry his.
They carry the name Jesus with them and that's what makes them

(03:07):
powerful. He goes on to say God blesses
those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be
satisfied. You ever have that deep ache,
that restlessness that says thisworld could be better?
That's your soul hungering for righteousness, for truth, for

(03:31):
love, for Jesus. And he's saying stay hungry
because one day that hunger is going to be filled not by the
world, but by the king himself. He continues.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown

(03:54):
mercy. Mercy breaks the cycle.
It ends the fight that pride keeps alive.
When you forgive, you heal. When you show mercy, you reflect
Jesus. Mercy isn't weakness, it's

(04:14):
heaven's strength shining through an earthly heart, he
goes on to say. God blesses those whose hearts
are pure, for they will see God.Purity isn't about perfection.
It's about direction. It's about aiming your heart

(04:35):
towards Jesus and saying Lord, clean me up again.
When your eyes are fixed on Him,you start to see Him in
everything. In kindness, in laughter, in
grace, in second chances. That's Jesus.

(04:59):
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called
children of God. Jesus didn't say blessed are the
peacekeepers, he said blessed are the peacemakers.
Peacekeepers avoid conflict. Peacemakers walk into it with

(05:23):
love. They don't silence the storm.
They bring calm through compassion.
That's what children of God do, he goes on to say.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for
the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.If you've ever been mocked for

(05:45):
following Jesus, have you ever felt alone for standing on
truth? He sees you and he says blessed
because every time you choose tostand for him, you're walking
the same Rd. That he walked and the Kingdom
of heaven is already cheering you on.

(06:09):
The Lord goes on to say God blesses you when people mock you
and persecute you and lie about you because you are my
followers. Be happy about it.
Be very glad, for a great rewardawaits you in heaven.
And remember the ancient prophets were persecuted in the
same way. Jesus says be glad, not because

(06:36):
life is easy, but because he ternity is worth it.
Every tear, every trial, every hard moment for his name, it's
all planting seeds in heaven. One day you'll get to see the
harvest and it's gonna be so beautiful.

(07:00):
The Beatitudes. They're not just blessings,
they're blueprints. They show us what the heart of
Jesus looks like when you live. Humble, merciful, peaceful, pure
hearted, hungry for truth. You're walking in his footsteps

(07:23):
and family. That's the goal.
Not perfection, just direction. Keep walking towards him.
Keep walking towards Jesus. So this Sunday, take a little
time to breathe. Be still.

(07:43):
Let us words soak deep because these aren't just teachings,
they're a heartbeat, their heaven, saying this is what love
looks like. And if you don't have a home
church, check out Calvary Templeonline later today while you
find yours. It's a place where Jesus is

(08:06):
front and centre and we're the Word is alive.
And Next up, the teachings of Jesus.
Part 2 Salt and Light. We'll talk about how to bring
flavor and fire to a world that needs both.

(08:26):
This is the Wooden Cricket Podcast and I'm Lawrence and
until tomorrow, Grace and peace,family.
I'll see you then. I'm ODI peace.