This, the final beatitude, serves to build off of the others; it adds to our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Matthew 5:10-12

The self-realizing, self-forgetting aspect of meekness, the complete and utter trust and dependence on God that allows us to be meek, has a direct bearing on the ability of the Christian to be a peacemaker. Matthew 5:9

Being pure in heart is inherently tied to mourning our sin and the desire to be redeemed. If we do not see our impurity, we cannot long for purity. Matthew 5:8

All of the beatitudes are built upon the foundation laid by being poor in spirit, recognizing our desperate need for Jesus and mourning over our brokenness and sinfulness. As we turn our attention to the text this morning we will see this progression and how it naturally leads to being merciful. Matthew 5:7

There has been a clear logical progression from the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit, to the second, blessed are those who mourn. We have seen that when we recognize our sinfulness and our brokenness it leads to a place of mourning and repentance.The progression moves from the heart of brokenness and mourning […]

This week we are looking at the second beatitude, blessed are those who mourn, which builds upon the foundation laid by the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:4

The sermon on the mount is not telling people how to get saved. It is telling saved people how to live. In the first beatitude, being poor in spirit leads to God’s approval which in turn leads to happiness, satisfaction, and joy, and that progression is incredibly significant. Matthew 5:1-3

Luke ends his book here with Paul preaching the gospel to the Jewish leaders in Rome with this most important fact: It is ALL ABOUT JESUS. Acts 28:11-31

In today’s passage, God demonstrates Paul’s credentials as his spokesperson. He does that through the consistent pattern of the Bible, through signs and wonders, and he also does it through drawing a clear connection from Paul to Christ. Acts 28:1-10

God’s providence is the way he uses his sovereign power to govern all creation throughout all time to accomplish his good purposes.  That is what we are seeing demonstrated in Acts 27. We are seeing God’s wise and purposeful sovereignty; we are seeing his providence on full display. Acts 27