The Beatitudes
A beatitude is a promise of blessing or happiness for anyone who follows the ways of Jesus Christ.
This is all about our attitude and faith in God.
The right attitude brings a beatitude - the blessing and happiness of God
Memory verses are verses 3 to 11 below
Matthew 5:1-16 (NIV)
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
1 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- What does "poor in spirit" mean?
- Who did Jesus tell the parable to?
- How many men went to the Temple?
- What did they go there for?
- What was there jobs?
- What kinds of people did the Pharisee think he was better than?
- What 2 things did he say he did?
- What did the Tax Collector pray?
- Which man did Jesus said the better prayer?
- Why?
Realize your need of God.
Blessed are those who realize they need God, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
To those who thought they were better than everyone else and looked down on everyone else.
2 men.
To pray.
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector.
robbers,
evildoers, adulterers
tax collectors
Fast (eat no food) twice a week and give away a tenth of what he earned.
"God, have mercy on me, a sinner"
The Tax Collector.
It's not good to think you're better than anyone else and look down on them..
The Pharisee asks God for nothing, and receives nothing.
The Pharisee recognizes his state of unworthiness before God and confesses his need for God's mercy. Coming to God in humility, the Pharisee receives the mercy he asks for.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- Who invited Jesus to have dinner with him? (What was his name?)
- Did Jesus accept the invitation?
- Who came uninvited to the house?
- Where was she from?
- Why did she come?
- What kind of person was she?
- What did she bring with her?
- How do we know the uninvited guest was unhappy?
- What did she do to Jesus’ feet?
- What was the Pharisee thinking about Jesus when he saw what the woman was doing?
- What did Jesus say to him?
- In the story about the moneylender what were the 2 amounts of money owed?
- What did the money lender do to the 2 people who owed him money?
- Simon the Pharisee and Jesus agreed which of the people would love the money lender more, which one?
- What did Jesus say that the woman had done that Simon had not done?
- What did Jesus do for the woman because she had shown great love?
- As with the story of the money lender….
- What did Jesus then say to the woman (v48)?
- What question did the other guests ask themselves?
- What did Jesus say to the woman before she left?
A Pharisee called Simon.
Yes.
A sinful woman.
She same town.
She heard Jesus was there.
She had lived a sinful life.
An alabaster jar of perfume.
She was crying.
Washed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair,
kissed them and poured the perfume on them
He was thinking Jesus should not let
this "sinful woman" touch him.
“Simon, I have something to tell you.”
500 denarii and 50 denarii
(a denarius was a days pay)
He let them off paying it back.
The one who owed the most (500)
He didn't wash his feet;
He didn't kiss him;
He didn't pour oil on his head;
He told her that her many sins were forgiven.
“…whoever has been forgiven most, loves most
“Your sins are forgiven.”
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
"Your faith has saved you, go in peace"
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning is when we're really sad. Maybe you've cried because you got hurt or someone you knew died but this is different than that. This is being very upset about those people that haven't heard about God or even about the sin in your life. You might not think about these things very much yet but as you get closer to God this will bother you and that's okay. God promises to comfort us when we need it.
Mourning in this way is a good thing. When we mourn over our sins, we repent, and when we repent, we get salvation. That is why mourning is a blessing. When we mourn over our sins, God gives us the comfort of salvation, the comfort of getting to spend all of forever with him.
3. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
8. What were the people in Jerusalem thinking to themselves when Jesus arrived?
9. What did the crowd, who were cheering Jesus along, tell them?
1. As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, where did they come to?
2
A donkey with her colt.
Bring them to Jesus.
Say the Lord needs them.
spread their cloaks on the road
cut branches spread them on the road
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
"Who is this?"
“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
4 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Who asked Jesus a question? An expert in the law.
What was his question? What must I do to inherit eternal life.
How did Jesus answer him? Jesus asked him "What is written in the law?"
What are the two greatest commandments?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength and with all your mind;
and
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Was Jesus happy with the man’s answer? What did he say? Yes, Jesus told him "Do t his and you will live"
What did the man then ask Jesus (V29)? He asked Jesus who his neighbour is.
In the parable, where was the man travelling to and from? Jerusalem to Jericho
Who were the two men that passed on by? A priest and a Levite
Who was the man who stopped to help? a Samaritan
Why do you think Jesus chose to have him as a hero? Because Jews hated the Samaritans
Where was the injured man taken? an inn
What question did Jesus asked at the end? Which one was a neighbour to the injured man?
What was the answer he got? The one who had mercy on him - the Samaritan.
What do you think the main teaching of this parable is? Anyone you see that needs help or a friend.
Our hearts are sinful…..
What does Jesus say a person’s personality can be like because of sin – Mark 7
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice,
deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly
Jesus doesn’t just want people to not do the above things but also not even to think about them. If we have the wrong attitudes about things, that leads to trouble and problems.
Human beings look on the out side
God looks on the in side
How can we clean ourselves up on the inside?
What does God say through Ezekiel in chapter 36…
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
When we believe in Jesus our hearts will be pure (clean)..
So what’s the promise to those with a “pure heart”…
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
So what about those who haven’t accepted Jesus, will they be in heaven?
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
What 3 things does James urge us to be? Quick to hear
Slow to speak
Slow to anger
What does James say you are like if you listen to the Bible but do not do what it says?
Someone who looks at his face in the mirror but when they go away
they forget what they look like.
What must you keep a tight rein on when you are a Christian? Your tongue. Being a peacemaker requires us to be careful
how we speak and to ensure that our actions are
not designed to divide but to unite.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Why does the world hate Christians? Because we are on the side of Jesus Christ.
How can we be made right in the sight of God? By trusting Jesus.
How did Jesus obey the law perfectly? By obeying its command and taking its punishment.
When we trust Jesus, what is given to us God's righteousness.
What can a Christian look forward to when they face persecution? Heaven.
9. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
What gift is given to every Christian as soon as they believe? The Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us that we are saved by Grace through what? Faith.
What 2 R's help us understand faith? Receiving and Resting in Christ.
Is following the teaching of the beatitudes a path to salvation? No. Nothing we do can save us. We just have to believe that
Jesus died so that we can be saved. See verses 8 & 9 in
the passage. But we can expect to see the beatitudes displayed
in our new attitudes to Jesus.
What must I do to be saved? Repent of sin and trust in Jesus.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the beatitudes.Help us grow in our faith. Keep us from self righteousness.
Protect us from believing that salvation is based on performance. Help us to receive and rest in Christ as He
is offered to us in the Gospel. In Jesus name, Amen.