Living the Way of Jesus
Part 1: The Upside-Down Kingdom 

Kizombo Kalumbula

Matthew 5:3–12

The central message of Jesus was the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is God's reign; God's way of doing things.

Mark 1:15

…Immediately after his baptism and temptation, He began to announce the good news
that the kingdom of God, long promised in the Old Testament era, was now on the
threshold; He Himself had come to inaugurate it. With him the new age has dawned,
and the rule of God has broken into history. ‘Repent,’ he cried, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount is to be seen in this
context. It portrays the repentance and the righteousness which belong to the
kingdom.” John R. W. Stott.

Kingdom people have Kingdom character.

The Beatitudes
Brief summary of each of the beatitudes.
1. Blessed are the poor in the spirit – recognizing our own spiritual bankruptcy
before God, we have nothing to offer
2. Blessed are those who mourn – Mourning our own sin and the sin in the world;
this leads to true repentance
3. Blessed are the meek – Humble strength, not weakness
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – A deep longing
to know God, live rightly, and pursue justice
5. Blessed are the merciful – Those who have received God’s mercy extend it to
others with compassion and forgiveness
6. Blessed are the pure in heart – Single-minded devotion to God, sincerity in
moral thought, without mask or hypocrisy

7. Blessed are the peacemakers – Actively working for reconciliation and peace,
not just avoidance of conflict
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness –
Discomfort and suffering often accompany real Kingdom living.

Big Idea:

The Beatitudes are the blessed rewards of living as citizens of Christ's Kingdom.

1. We are to be dependent on God
Matthew 5:3–6
2. We are to be honest about our mourning
3. We need kingdom ears
4. Blessed are the meek
Matthew 5:5
Meekness is strength under control.
5. Living upside-down
a. God, I need You.
b. I am hurting, and I need comfort.
Reflection Questions
Mark 1:15; Matthew6:10; Psalm 34:6, 18; Luke 4:18-22;
1. What is the Holy Spirit prompting to do as result of hearing this message?
2. What would it look like for me to live as a citizen of God's Kingdom, as Jesus
describes in the Sermon on the Mount?
3. What pathways is God inviting me to walk as I grow spiritually and become more
Kingdom-minded?
4. Where do I need God's comfort in my mourning—and how might God use me to
comfort someone else?
5. How could you differentiate meekness from weakness?