One of the greatest of Jesus' sermons recorded in the Bible is the "Sermon On the Mount". It is in this sermon that Jesus spells out the way that He basically wants us to live, and gives us the advantages to doing so.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness's sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
-Matthew 5:3-12
Most of what Jesus said is pretty self-explanatory. But what exactly did Jesus mean by "poor" and "meek" and "mourn"? Did He mean that you have to be destitute and let people push you around and be sad all the time? No, He most certainly did not. What Jesus is describing with these first three conditions is a set of steps that lead to salvation. "Poor in spirit" means to be humble. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who aren't too prideful to go into it and go to God for help and salvation. Those who mourn are those who are remorseful of their sins, those who call on Jesus to forgive them once they've entered into the Kingdom. Jesus will forgive them and bring them comfort from the Comforter that He gave us, the Holy Spirit. The meek are the ones who practice gentleness, kindness, love, and mercy just as Jesus did. Those who show the love of God to others will live forever.
Meekness, or love towards one another, has a lot to do with Jesus' next topics in His Sermon.
You have heard that it was said by them of old time, "You shall not kill"; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, "Raca" (a contemptuous term), shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, "You fool", shall be in danger of hell fire.
-Matthew 5:21,22
You have heard that it has been said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth". But I say unto you, that you resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two. Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away. You have heard that is has been said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy." But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
-Matthew 5:38-48
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "let me take the speck out of your eye', when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
-Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)
As you can see, Jesus had a lot to say about how to act towards other people. But a lot of what He told us goes against what we have been taught all of our lives. We've been taught to do the exact opposite: when you don't like someone, you're supposed to bear a grudge against them for the rest of your life. If that guy across the room looks at you in a way that you even remotely don't like, you go right over there and beat him up until he's bleeding and half dead. When someone does something to you, you do everything you can to show your hate for that person for ever and ever until one of you gets old and dies, and then you dance on their grave.
What Jesus is saying here might not make much sense to some people. Society will tell us that only wimps act like that. Real men and women will get in fist fights and swear and cuss right in front of their children if they have to. Jesus, however, was able to see much deeper than what society and fleshly nature will tell us.
When you're about to say or do something, remember that either God or the devil is working through you. Give careful consideration to what you're about to say or do, and think about who it is that's working through those words or that action. Would Jesus do what you're about to do, or say what you're about to say? If He wouldn't, then it's the devil trying to work through you. The reason that Jesus says not to retaliate against an evil person or seek revenge is because things like that are what the devil hopes to accomplish. If someone walks up to you and starts to insult you and you just curse them right back, then the devil has won his goal, and all you accomplished was helping him. If, on the other hand, you stand your ground and just ignore this person, then the devil hasn't really accomplished anything, and you accomplished greatness in God by resisting the devil. You've made yourself a barrier to the enemy's plans by standing up in God's Spirit, one who puts a cold stop to the works of evil. Isn't that better than impressing your enemies with the dirty words that you know? It's much more impressive to God if you don't know any swear words and insults.
Jesus also warns against judging other people and being hypocritical. Many people will charge all Christians with being hypocrites, and use that as an excuse not to become a Christian. Sadly, this might be all the some people hear about Christians; and it might be true of some Christians, but certainly not all. There is forgiveness even for those who are hypocrites. Even so, "do as I say, not as I do" is a saying right out of the pits of hell. Nobody can tell other people to do a certain thing and act a certain way, if they don't practice what they preach. That's why kids don't listen to their parents when they tell them not to smoke and drink, if the parents smoke and drink. Actions speak much more loudly than do words. Jesus always lived out the message that He preached, being not only a teacher but also a living example for us. He says that the way we judge other people will be the way we're judged. If we condemn drinking and then go get wasted at a bar, we too will be condemned. We can't tell people how to live holy lives if we ourselves do not live holy lives, as demonstrated by Jesus' analogy of trying to get some saw dust out of someone else's eye while we have a whole log stuck in our eye. Think of it this way: would you take get-rich-quick advice from someone who was bankrupt? It's the same way with moral advice.
Following the teachings of Jesus isn't always easy, especially when it goes directly against what the world tells us to do. But that is why Jesus came to us: to free us from the lie that the world wants us to live. He came to set us free from the sin and death that the world tries to present as the only way to live. Going against the world and what it says is right to follow what Jesus says is right is truly the path to righteousness and life; for the world will pass away eventually. That guy you're mad at will eventually leave your life and go away; won't it be better if he leaves on good terms with you, instead of still holding a grudge? All the great bar fighters and pro-wrestlers will eventually get old and die... probably a lot sooner than the rest of us... and what will all of their skill at violence have gotten them? Nothing, except just a precious handful of bones that haven't been fractured and shattered to lay in a grave. Jesus' ways of peace will help bring you into eternal life, and peace in this life. Trust in Jesus, and He will guide you through life in the paths of righteousness, which lead to eternal life.
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