On the Mount Christians Lesson 2: Beatitudes Continued
Diagram of Sermon on the Mount
5:3
|
5:17
|
6:1
|
7:13
|
KINGDOM
CITIZENS
|
KINGDOM
LAWS
|
ATTITUDES
|
CONCLUDING
EXHORTATIONS
|
Their
Personality
|
Their
Purpose
|
Their
Precedent
|
Their
Prize
|
WORSHIP
-giving
-praying
-fasting
|
WALK
-priorities
-influences
-worries
-money
|
Citizenship
Commands
|
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth.
Strong's Concordance says the word meek means mildness of
disposition or gentleness of spirit.
How is meekness different from weakness in the Christian?
The Christian realizes that God is in control of all
things. He knows that he as a servant of
God must rely upon our Master for power, authority and even justice. It is not weakness that keeps us from revenge
or anger it is the knowledge of ultimate
strength that resides in the Creator who is also in us.
What do the following verses teach us about meekness?
Matthew 11:29 Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.
Matthew 21:5 Tell ye
the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon
an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Numbers 12:3 (Now the
man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the
earth.)
1 Peter 3:4 But let
it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price.
1 Peter 3:15 But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear:
Application: Is it difficult for us to differentiate between
meekness and weakness when it comes to Christians and especially in Christian
leaders?
Why do you think this is?
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The next quality describes a deep passion for personal
righteousness. I believe it also
expresses an overwhelming desire to know God.
Notice what David said about this quality in his own life.
Psalms 63:1-8 A Psalm
of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus
will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul
shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee
with joyful lips: When I remember thee
upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in
the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
How is the hunger and thirst for righteousness also a hunger
and thirst for God?
This intense desire and need can only be met through a
growing, deepening relationship with God.
There is no righteousness without Him.
Why don't more Christians have such a hunger?
How can such a hunger be filled?
In the same way that a hunger for a loved one, family or
friend is filled, by spending time with God.
This is done as we make Him a part of our daily life and spend time
listening to Him through the word. I
must recognize my hunger and then satisfy it by being with Him.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall
obtain mercy.
This is the ability to put pity into action. It describes more than just a desire to help
it is the follow through to actual acts of mercy.
Recall the parable of the Good Samaritan. How was the Samaritan and example of
merciful?
He did something. To
the Samaritan help, kindness and compassion were more than just feelings or
fleeting thoughts. He acted!
What are some ways of mercy we could be acting to better
show the King we represent?
Forgiveness, acts of kindness, gifts, notes, cards, letters,
phone calls, extending ourselves even to the point of emotional even physical
risk. Mercy is not mercy if it is
deserved, it is only mercy when it is given to those who do not deserve to have
it.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God.
This is the mark of an undivided, unpolluted heart. We might call it being focused upon God to
such an extent that all other things, even sin is a distraction which can not
find a place in us.
What is so difficult about this trait in our modern society?
Everything is a distraction.
There are a thousand diversions demanding my attention and taking my
eyes off God.
Two things are necessary for me to maintain focus in any
area of my life. These will also prove
important in keeping my heart pure.
The first step in developing focus is elevating the target.
By elevating the target we mean to make God and time with
Him a priority. During this time He and
He only will be the object of my heart.
How is David is focusing on God in the following scriptures.
Psalms 5:3 My voice
shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer
unto thee, and will look up.
Psalms 119:62 At
midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous
judgments.
Psalms 119:147 I
prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.
Psalms 119:148 Mine
eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
He is spending time alone with God. This refocuses David upon God.
The second step is removing the distractions.
In the first step
it is time that is needed in the second step it is a place that is needed. A place where you can go to be alone with
God. This will not happen by accident it
must be planned and then the plan must be followed.
The place for you to be personally alone with God can be
anywhere you make it. There is also a
place where we can go to be refocused upon God in a public or corporate
way. In Church our attention is turned
toward the One who has called us together.
Neglecting this place will keep you from ever being pure in heart.
Why is the reward of this quality so apt?
It is the end result of the life that is focused upon
God. To live a great life one must have
a great goal as its prize. Seeing God
will be the greatest reward that can ever be realized.
Matthew5:9 Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
How is this characteristic much more than just the ability
to stop physical or emotional conflict between others around us? What is the only peace that really counts?
Peace with God whom we have rebelled against through our sin
and unbelief.
How are we responsible for making this peace?
By telling others of the "Prince of Peace" Jesus
Christ. In Him alone is the peace that
lasts no matter what the outward conflicts.
Application: Could you tell
someone else how to find peace with God?
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you.
It seems impossible to think of being blessed when we are
being persecuted but nevertheless this is exactly what Jesus says.
This is the longest of the Beatitudes, three full verses.
Why do you think the Lord emphasized this quality of Kingdom Citizens?
Those who follow the Lord have always been persecuted by
Satan who uses this world and those under his power to try and hurt God’s
people. The first generation of Christians after Christ would pay a very high
price for their acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Christ.
What does Jesus say is the cause of the persecution?
Righteousness sake.
It is for the cause of Christ for the work of the kingdom which is a
righteous work. It is because of who we
are as the followers of King Jesus.
Do we see much persecution for righteous sake in our country
and in our personal lives?
No, it may be increasing but it is still very minimal. There are two reasons. 1.
This country was founded as a refuge from religious persecution. 2. We
do not show righteousness in our own lives as we should. You can’t be
persecuted as a Christian if people don’t know that you’re a Christian.
What is the difference between verse 10 and vss 11-12?
Ten deals with those in the kingdom generally. 11-12 is addressed principally to the
apostles and disciples who were the primary target of Jesus message.
List the 8 characteristics of Kingdom Citizens. (Christians)
1. Humility
(poor in spirit)
2. Sorrow
for Sin (they that mourn)
3. Meekness
4. Spiritual
Hunger
5. Mercy
6. Pure
in Heart
7. Peacemaker
8. Persecuted
Application: Are we the kind of kind of people that Jesus describes
as citizens of that future Kingdom?
Think about this, are these requirements for entering into
the kingdom or descriptions of those who are already citizens? How the do we obtain these characteristics?
What did Jesus tell Nicodemus when he came to see him? "Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God“ John 3
Compare the Beatitudes with the Ten Commandments in Exodus
20 and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
longsuffering,
gentleness,
goodness,
faith,
meekness,
temperance:
against such there is no law.
|
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image,
7 Thou shalt not take the name of
the LORD thy God in vain;
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy.
12 Honour thy father and thy
mother:
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet
|
Which are the Beatitudes most like?
The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians.
What should this tell us about trying to keep the Beatitudes
like we try to keep the law?
They were not meant to be kept by my own power, which is
impossible, they are only to be recognized as being in us through the
indwelling of Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount by describing those who
would be citizens of that Kingdom. The description shows us a people who are
unlike any natural born citizens of any earthly kingdom. Instead they describe
the spiritual qualities of people who have been transformed and changed as they
become members of that spiritual kingdom. This could only be done by God’s
power through the agency of the King of the Kingdom, Jesus.
As we read them may we seek that same transforming power to
help us to be seen as those living and looking for Jesus’ coming kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment