In our journey through the Beatitudes we come to the penultimate characteristic of those who have entered the kingdom of heaven, and as a result, are living that reality here and now. It is the consummation of all of the other Beatitudes. All of the others are prerequisite to this one, and all of the others have their desired purpose and end result in this one. It is the goal of all kingdom living. It is the characteristic most needed in our world today, and yet at the same time, it is the one that seems the very most elusive. And not least among those who claim to be God’s children. This morning we turn to one of the most needed and urgent words for our times, about the characteristic that should be core to all who have entered the kingdom of heaven, in Matthew 5:9, in a message entitled “The Blessing of True Spiritual Peace”.