For Theirs is the Kingdom – Come Follow Me

As Jesus began to travel and teach, he explained that the Kingdom of God is very different from the kingdom of this world. Here are two of the things that he said as he started what we now refer to as the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

How different are those statements from what we normally think makes someone “inherit” a kingdom in our world today? Jesus says that if we are poor in spirit, or if we are persecuted because of our righteousness, we will be in the kingdom of heaven.

If someone wanted to go teach a class today on how to get ahead in this world, would these be the things that you would teach? I doubt it! And yet, Jesus says that these are precisely the type of people that God is looking for in his Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is said to be upside-down, backward, and otherwise completely different from the world that we live in. Thankfully, this is true, but we are not used to living this way. Instead, we know how to live in this world, so we must learn to shed all of our dependency on the way that our world works and instead, learn to live the way that Jesus teaches us to live.

Make sure and read the whole passage to understand the type of person who will be able to enter the Kingdom of God:

Read the story – Matthew 5:1-12

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Is this how you are living today? Do these words describe who you are? What would need to change in your life if you were going to enter into the Kingdom of God?