Dave Mattingly 6:15 am on March 16, 2016  

Bible’s Greatest Hits: The Beatitudes

I’m a Christian, and sometimes a teacher/preacher.

This sermon series looks at the parts of the Bible that are the best known passages by those outside of church.

This time, we’ll take a look at the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.

At first, the English word Beatitude looks like a portmanteau of beautiful and attitude, but it’s actually an anglicization of the Latin beatitudo, which means “blessing” — which explains all the “blessed are…” statements.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the mourners, they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3-11)

Discussion Questions

  • When have you felt:
    • overjoyed?
    • ashamed?
    • sorrow?
    • peaceful?
    • betrayed?
    • hungry?
    • hurt?
    • grateful?
    • regret?

Poor in Spiritneedy

Let’s take a look at each of the Beatitude statements, looking at those who are blessed and what they receive.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor

  • Ecclesiastes 7:20 – no one is righteous
  • Romans 3:10 – ditto
  • Isaiah 64:6 – filthy rags
  • Psalms 51:5 – born into sin

Kingdom

  • Matthew 3:2 – the kingdom of heaven is near
  • John 10:10 – Jesus gives us abundant life
  • Matthew 13:44 – treasure
  • Matthew 19:14 – little children

Mournersmourning

“Blessed are the mourners, they will be comforted.”

Mourners

  • Proverbs 10:16 – wages of sin is death
  • John 16:20 – mourn while the world rejoices
  • Revelation 7:17 – wipe away every tear
  • Job 5:11 – those who mourn are exalted
  • John 11:35 – Jesus wept

Comfort

  • John 14:16 – the Father will provide a Comforter
  • John 14:26 – the Comforter is the Holy Ghost
  • John 15:26 – the Comforter is the spirit of truth

Meekmeek

“Blessed are the meek, they will inherit the earth.”

Meek

  • Zephaniah 3:12 – meek trust in the name of the Lord
  • Psalms 25:9 – meek are guided in what is right
  • Psalms 37:9 – those who hope in the Lord will inherit
  • 1 Corinthians 15:50 – flesh cannot inherit

Earth

  • Psalms 24:1 – world is the Lord’s
  • Romans 8:17 – co-heirs
  • Isaiah 65:17 – new heaven and new earth
  • Revelation 21:1 – new heaven and new earth

Hunger and Thirsthungry

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.”

Thirst

  • Matthew 6:33 – seek first
  • Psalms 42:1 – as the deer pants
  • Proverbs 21:21 – brings life, prosperity, honor
  • Psalms 107:9 – fills with good

Filled

  • John 4:14 – living water
  • John 7:37-39 – living water = Spirit
  • Acts 2:4 – filled with Spirit
  • Malachi 3:10 – overflowing blessings

Mercifulmercy

“Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.”

Mercy

  • Matt 9:13 – God wants mercy
  • Ephesians 2:4 – God is rich in mercy
  • Luke 6:36 – be merciful like God
  • Matthew 6:14 – if we forgive, God forgives
  • Matthew 18:23-35 – mercy not given is not returned
  • James 2:13 – mercy for merciful
  • Matthew 7:2 – with the same measure
  • Luke 12:48 – to whom much is (for)given
  • Luke 7:41-43 – great debt

Pure in Heartpure

“Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God.”

Pure

  • 1 Samuel 16:7 – God looks at the heart
  • Psalms 51:10 – pure heart, steadfast spirit
  • Proverbs 22:11 – king for a friend
  • 1 John 3:6 – sinner does not know God

God

  • John 14:9 – seen Jesus = seen the Father
  • 1 John 3:3 – see Christ as he is
  • Psalms 17:15 – righteous will see God’s face
  • Revelation 22:3-4 – servants will see God’s face

Peacemakerspeacemaker

“Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.”

Peacemakers

  • Psalms 37:37 – peacemaker has a future
  • Luke 6:35 – love your enemies
  • Romans 12:18 – if possible, live at peace
  • James 3:18 – reap righteousness
  • John 14:27 – we have God’s peace

Children

  • Romans 8:14-16 – the Spirit leads and testifies
  • 1 John 3:10 – children of God do good
  • Luke 20:36 – children of resurrection

Persecutedpersecuted

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Persecuted

  • Isaiah 66:5 – God’s glory and joy
  • 1 Peter 3:14 – suffer is blessed
  • James 1:2 – count it all joy
  • John 15:18 – hated him first
  • Acts 5:29 – obey god not men

Kingdom

  • Hey, didn’t we already do this one?

The Beatitudes

So, what do we learn from each of these beatitudes?

  • Come to God
    • I am not righteous – poor in spirit
    • I have sinned – mourners
    • I trust the Lord – meek
    • I crave the Lord – hunger/thirst
  • Live Like God
    • I am forgiven – merciful
    • I see Christ – pure in heart
    • I share God’s peace – peacemakers
  • Hurt Like God
    • I’m on the right track – persecuted

Discussion Questions

  • How can you express forgiven past as current mercy?
  • What persecution can you count as joy?
  • Who do you need to make peace with?
  • Is there anything that breaks God’s heart, but not yours?
  • What part of your heart needs to be purified?

Download

You can download the PowerPoint file here.