We all have experienced the destructive power of anger, whether the feeling ofanger, acting out of anger, or receiving the outbursts of others anger. Anger hascaused us all problems in life. It has harmed our relationships and spilled into manyareas of our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to a life of personalholiness that affects our whole life. In the Scriptures, God shows how His gracehelps us address anger in a way that pleases God. How should we handle ouranger and the damage it does?

Is God's Law still relevant? In a world that wants to do as it pleases and agospel that speaks to the free offer of the gospel, this is an important question for usto consider. Through His ministry, Jesus faced critics who accused Him of discarding the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to revive the true nature ofGods Law and to challenge the legalism of his time, where religious leaders wereobsessed with external compliance yet blind to their sinful hearts. Jesus peeledback layers of false piety, revealing a deeper call to genuinely love God and ourneighbors. This is our call today. Jesus came to fulfill Gods Law for us so we couldgenuinely please God. How, then, can we truly embrace the heart of God'scommands in our lives?

Have you ever heard the cynical phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished"?This seems like a relevant comment as we read the final Beatitude in Matthew5:10. Why would someone who demonstrates the qualities of verses 3-9 bepersecuted in verse 10? The simple response is that the sinful flesh does notlike the righteousness of God. When individuals, or rulers of this world, believethe righteousness of God is a threat to their own ambitions, they will persecutebelievers. Yet, there is another response to these beatitudes, the response offaith as people discover God anew (verse 16). Genuinely living out our faith willelicit both of these responses from others. Is this positive response worth therisk of persecution?

How does your relationship with Jesus change the way you interact with thatannoying neighbor, or the family member who yelled at you, or the friend whogossiped about you? What does being Jesus disciple do to affect the relationshipswe find ourselves in? In these three Beatitudes, Jesus describes the actions of adisciple with the world, and each one of them describes the way that faith affectsour interactions with others. This is where the rubber hits the road in relationships,where we will see much of the practical outworking of our faith, and where we willneed the humility and motivation that comes from the gospel.

What do you really want out of life, and will it satisfy you? The world says that we canbe satisfied by money, power, fame, or success. Many have sought after those thingsonly to find themselves emptyhanded and regretful. Others have sought after thosethings and oppressed the people around them. In todays passage, Jesus showswhere true satisfaction comes from: through hungering and thirsting for righteousness(Isaiah 55:1-2; John 7:37-38). As we continue our study through the Beatitudes, wewill see how the attitudes of Gods kingdom (Matthew 5:3-5) shape our motivations(Matthew 5:6). What does it mean to hunger for righteousness, and how will Godsatisfy it?

In the Beatitudes, we learn eight qualities that are favored by God. While the world may undervalue them, God treasures these traits in His kingdom. In a selfcentric world, these qualities stand as surprising markers of God's blessing. These qualities, dismissed by the world, gain favor in the eyes of God, putting us in the place to receive God's grace.