At our outset let me say this the Sermon on the Mount is not for everyone to try to pattern their life after. It is only for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and are growing spiritually by God's grace.

The Beatitudes give us a description of what every Christian is meant to be. This is Jesus description of the essence of Christianity, no double standards, no exceptional Christians, no supper saints, ordinary work a day Christians.

The Beatitudes are also a description of Christian character from the standpoint of character, what we are meant to be there is no difference between one Christian and another. All Christians are meant to conform to this pattern and rise up to this standard of living processing all the characteristics contained in the Sermon on the Mount.

Some would say that Jesus is teaching that some Christians are "poor in spirit," while others are "pure in heart," while

still others "hunger and thirst after righteousness" and so on.

No, every Christian is meant to have all these characteristics at the same time. None of these descriptions refer to what we may call a "natural tendency." Each one of is wholly a disposition which is produced by God's grace and the ministry of the Holy Spirit within the hear of the believer.

No person naturally conforms to the descriptions contained in these Beatitudes. There are some people who appear to be naturally "poor in spirit", but that is not what is described here by our Lord.

And there are some people who appear to be naturally "meek" but that is not what our Lord is talking about either. These are not natural qualities. No one by birth or by nature is like this. Jesus said to Nickidemus, "unless you are born again you can not see the kingdom of God."

These descriptions of Jesus clearly show the fundamental difference between Christians and non-Christians. Each believer needs is a clear understanding of this fundamental difference. When believers are fundamentally different from the world it is then that they see the world as it is supposed to.

Christians and non-Christians are absolutely different in what they admire. The Christian admires the person who knows their need for God. Non-Christians seem to admire self-made persons, the ones who pull themselves up by their boot straps. Persons who say "I did it my way."

There is a difference in what they seek. Jesus said "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst..." For what, wealth, money, status, position, of publicity? No, righteousness, and righteousness is being right with God according to His standards.

There is a difference in Christians and non-Christians in what they do. If they admire and seek after different things they will do different things. The result is that the life-style of a Christian is essentially different than a non-Christian. It is noticeably different.

Another essential difference is in their belief as to what they can do. Persons of the world are confident in their own capacity and are prepared to do anything. But the Christian is a person who truly knows his or her limitations. Jesus said, "If you have faith as in a grain of mustard seed..." They know they are limited by their faith in God.

In these teachings of Jesus we can see that the Christian and non-Christian belong to two different realms. Notice the promise in the first and last Beatitude are the same, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus thought that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God where one and the same. And that where He is the kingdom of God is. The Jews were looking for a material kingdom in which God would establish His authority.

Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is spiritual, in the heart of all true believers in Him. The kingdom of God is only present in the Church in the hearts of true believers, in the hearts of those who have submitted to Christ and in whom are among whom He reigns. In Philip 3:20-21 Paul says: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (21) who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

The last way Christians and non-Christians are different that Christians are looking for a future kingdom in which Christ will establish His authority over the whole world ever in the physical and material sense. Evil and Satan will be entirely removed. There will be a new heaven and earth in which righteousness dwells.

This is a general overview of the Christian in The Sermon on the Mount. In it we can see how fundamentally different he or she is from the non-Christian.

Here are some vital questions we need to ask yourselves:

What did Jesus mean when He said: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."? I am sure that we will have many different understandings of this assurance if each would share his of her belief about what Jesus is saying.

Jesus always tells His disciples who they are before He tells them what the need to do.

He blesses before He commands us.
He enables before He challenges us.
He conditions before He calls to action.
He indicate what He wants before He makes it imperative.
He gives grace before He calls.