Beatitudes Part 1
Beatitudes
Matthew 5:2-12KJV
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 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.
Introduction: “The Sermon on the Mount” was a sermon not just preached but taught by Jesus. He started with the “Beatitudes” which we are going to start looking at today. One thing that has been commonplace for the Beatitudes is that they are misunderstood by many Christians even today! We will go into them and learn from them sometimes preaching sometimes teaching.
1. Verse 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
a. This isn’t poorly spirited, nor is it just poor as some would like to think. We don’t get to Heaven through depression, lack of finances, lack of heart.
b. It is Spiritual Poverty spiritual need, to say that we cannot make it without God, we are then able to cast aside all self-dependence, seek God’s grace.
c. The opposite of Poor in Spirit is to be “full of self” when we give our heart to God we aren’t the same anymore because the “Old Man” in us dies
Romans 6:6KJV
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
2. Verse 4 Blessed are they that mourn.
a. This verse speaks not just to anyone that cries all the time, nor just to those who got their feelings hurt for some reason although it is true that He knows your every tear that you shed, and God cares for you.
b. To mourn is to repent. To be desperately sorry for our sins and our unworthiness before God.
Luke 18:13KJV
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
c. To mourn not for ourselves which is “Self Pity” but rather for others for their needs as Jesus also mourned for us.
Matthew 14:14KJV
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
John 16:20-22KJV
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
3. Verse 5 The Meek. This doesn’t mean weak as many think it is to have a strong, but tender and humble life. It is a strong, yet teachable spirit. The opposite of meekness is arrogance or pride.
a. Who are the meek? The person is controlled not undisciplined. Passion and urges, speech and behavior, the way they act are under control.
Romans 6:12KJV
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
1 Corinthians 9:27KJV
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
b. He/she is humble not prideful both before God and before men. We should seek to glorify God not ourselves!
Philippians 2:3-4KJV
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
c. He/she is also a person who is gentle, not easily provoked. Is also teachable!
2 Timothy 2:24-26NLT
The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
1 Corinthians 13:5KJV
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Conclusion: This is just the beginning of the Beatitudes we shall be covering the rest but this is the first part and we all need to examine ourselves to see if His word is active in our lives. What can we do better at? Have I been humble enough?