1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 

2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Poor here is translated from the Greek word "ptochos". This is more than just poor. This means literally having nothing. Jesus says here we are blessed when we see we have nothing in our spirit and come to God realizing we have nothing of our own and depend on Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Blessed are those who mourn,    for they shall be comforted.

The word “mourn” refers to mourning over sin. We should mourn the lack of righteousness in ourselves, our churches, and our neighborhood. As followers of Christ, we often laugh at the things that we should weep over and weep over the things we should laugh at. In our heart of hearts, what do we weep about? What do we laugh about?
5 Blessed are the gentle,
    for they shall inherit the earth.

The strongest man is not the one who forces his will upon others but the man who has power and willingly surrenders it. The largest, strongest plow horses are called gentle when their power is under control. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
    for they shall be filled.

Jesus is not saying those that are righteous but those who desperately want righteousness. When you were hungry or thirsty, other things didn't seem as important, did they? If you hunger and thirst for Jesus Christ, God promises that you will be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they shall obtain mercy.

 You won’t be merciful to others unless you appreciate the mercy that God has shown you. You will want your rights. You won’t fully understand that you deserve nothing.  Do you see your need for mercy? Do you desire God to show you His mercy? If so, show others the type of mercy you’d like to receive.

 Mercy is a part of God's nature. Some people have the capacity for showing mercy, especially toward those with whom they already have a special relationship, a lack of mercy is more natural to the human condition.

Showing mercy is showing the Holy Spirit living in us. Christians are to be channels of God's mercy in the world.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

Not pure in the head, you can have pure notions, but an impure heart.

Not pure hands. You can have pure actions- be outwardly religious- and have impure hearts. But the heart of man is naturally unclean. Hearts are only pure by the justification of Christ. By the blood of Christ our iniquities are forgiven and our hearts are cleansed by His blood. 

         for they shall see God.

In this life- enjoyment of God in communion with Him, both private through prayer and public in the fellowship of others. And in the ressurection- where we shall see Him in all His glory.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

Not between God and man-Christ is the only one able to bring peace between God and man. But between men. This ability is made possible in us by the Holy Spirit.
    for they shall be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted

Not for crimes they have committed.

for righteousness’ sake,

But because of their Godly life and beliefs which bring hatred by the men of the world.
    for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

This is said to inform you that there will be times when the men of this world attack you because you are Christ's.

12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is said to strengthen you for when the time comes that men will attack you when you stand for your Lord Jesus Christ.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. 

Many people salt their food. They say it improves the flavor of the food. They don't say "What great salt." They say how good the food is that the salt is used on. As the salt of this world, we are used by God to improve the things of this world. Not so we can receive the praise of the people of this world. 

How are your neighborhood, your town, and your kids’ schools different because you are around? Or have you lost your flavor?

Salt was used in the incense for the temple. In The Book of Revelation, we see that the burning of incense is symbolic of the prayers of the saints. 

Do you pray for your family and friends? What about people you don't like? It's harder to dislike someone you are praying for.

Another thing that salt does is cause us to thirst.  Are you making anyone in your life thirsty to know more about Christ? Are you creating in others a hunger and thirst for the gospel of Christ?

With all this being said, What is the true purpose of the salt? 

Not far from where Jesus gave this sermon was a body of water called the Dead Sea. An important thing to know about this water is that it is really salty. People who go into this water, float. The salt in the water causes them to stay on top of the water, not go into the water. 

Okay big deal. It really is.

Revelation 17:1

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

What are the waters? We only need to look in the bible to find out.

Revelation 17:15

Then the angel said to me, "The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language.

The salt is what lifts the people out. Out of the masses that are controlled by this world. But to do this the salt needs to be in the water. Not waiting for someone to come to you. Not afraid to go into the world. Are you ready to get wet?