The Upside Down Heart (Matthew 5:6-8)
Title: The Upside Down Heart
Speaker: Nate Holdridge
Overview: In this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Nate Holdridge continues through the Beatitudes by examining Matthew 5:6-8. Jesus describes an "upside down heart" that contradicts the world's values: while the world says to hunger for success, Jesus blesses those who hunger for righteousness; while the world says to get what you deserve, Jesus blesses those who give mercy to others; while the world says to manage your image, Jesus blesses those who purify their hearts. Pastor Nate unpacks each beatitude by exploring what it is, what it isn't, what it looked like in Jesus, and the promised result for those who embody it. This sermon emphasizes that the Beatitudes are not moralistic commands to try harder but descriptions of the fruit Jesus produces in those who follow him—transformation from the inside out.