MATTHEW 5:3–12 Beatitudes
'BLESSED/HAPPY are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. 12Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great
For BEING AND DOING RIGHT!
Principle: Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to Know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
This week… the how to’s during that time of learning
how to ‘be and do’ right.. We will
discuss the ‘crossroads’ of our journey..
Crossroads -
A
crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made
A
point where a choice must be made;
Further down in Matthew C5 -- Jesus says: 14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16Let your light so shine before men that they may see your [z]moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and [aa]recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
If you
are going to be light.. … then every single day you will see and be aware of
opportunities to choose right… ‘crossroads’…
Deut
30:19This
day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you
life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so
that you and your children may live.
Choose
life. Sometimes .. we have to get rid of
distorted thinking before we can choose rightly… maybe some of these 15 styles
of distorted thinking will resonate with you..
Listen to
audio for list…
If any of
them do… it’s time to go before the Lord and ask for some mind renewal… then..
we can act ‘rightly’.
I want to
use Psalm 112 as a type of personal inventory tonight.. this will help you see
some of the choices we have and how we receive God’s blessing..
Psalm 112
1[a] Praise the LORD. [b]Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
2 His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. [c]
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn [d] will be lifted high in honor.
Conditions of blessing:
1.
have
a ‘holy awe’ of God
2.
delight
in His word
3.
give
to others – don’t be selfish or self absorbed
4.
have
a steadfast, secure heart
Personal
characteristics we should be developing:
1.
be
gracious – thankful
2.
be
full of compassion (not my gift example)- no excuses
3.
be
righteous – righteousness if having the desire to emulate God’s standard of
living.. stay in HIS boundaries.. ask yourself “Is what I’m doing bringing me
closer to God” “Is what I am doing,
something that Jesus would do?”
His Promises:
1.
Give
us light in the darkness
2.
He
will exalt us with honor
3.
He
will bless our children
4.
He
will provide for us
Bottom
line… God truly wants to bless us!!
Daily we will be given crossroads…
opportunities to choose right.. to choose life over death… to choose right living that honors God… What will you choose?
Matthew 5 (Amplified Bible)
Amplified
Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958,
1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman
Foundation
Matthew 5
1SEEING THE crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He
was seated, His disciples came to Him.
2Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3Blessed (happy, [a]to be envied, and [b]spiritually prosperous--[c]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
4Blessed and enviably happy [with a [d]happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!(A)
5Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, [e]spiritually prosperous--[f]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!(B)
6Blessed and fortunate and happy and [g]spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God [h]enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be [i]completely satisfied!(C)
7Blessed (happy, [j]to be envied, and [k]spiritually prosperous--[l]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
8Blessed (happy, [m]enviably fortunate, and [n]spiritually prosperous--possessing the [o]happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!(D)
9Blessed (enjoying [p]enviable happiness, [q]spiritually prosperous--[r]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and [s]maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!
10Blessed and happy and [t]enviably fortunate and [u]spiritually prosperous [v](in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
11Blessed (happy, [w]to be envied, and [x]spiritually prosperous--[y]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.
12Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you. [II Chron. 36:16.]
13You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.
14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16Let your light so shine before men that they may see your [z]moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and [aa]recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
17Do not think that I have come to do away with or [ab]undo the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill them.
18For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away and perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hook [identifying certain Hebrew letters] will pass from the Law until all things [it foreshadows] are accomplished.
19Whoever then breaks or does away with or relaxes one of the least [important] of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and teaches others to do so shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20For I tell you, unless your righteousness (your uprightness and your right standing with God) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
GROUP WORK
STEPPING INTO ABUNDANT LIVING
'BLESSED/HAPPY
are those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven!'BLESSED/HAPPY are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. 12Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great
1.
Share a time you were persecuted for
doing the right thing/following the Lord?
2.
Was there a time you were
slandered/gossiped about because of your faith/walk with Jesus? Share.
3.
Share a life situation where you were at
a ‘crossroad’ and the choice you made – good or bad.
4.
What are you doing daily to enable you to
make better choices and heal from a wounded spirit?
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