3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom Jesus Matthew 5:3-12 (English Standard Version) of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. THE Beatitudes Nine studies based on Matthew 5:1-12 With grateful thanks to Emily Billson, Simon Head, David Jones, James Laing, Simon Lucas, Amy Mee, Sarah Paxton, Andrew Thompson and Stephanie Tuddenham for their help in preparing these studies. Connect Group Studies Autumn 2017 Page 12 Page
Study one Study two Study three Study four Study five Study six Study seven Study eight Study nine Introducing the Beatitudes Sermon on 3 rd September at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are the poor in spirit Sermon on 10 th September at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are those who mourn Sermon on 17 th September at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are the meek Sermon on 1 st October at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness Sermon on 8 th October at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are the merciful Sermon on 15 th October at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are the pure in heart Sermon on 29 th October at 9.30 and 11.15am services Blessed are the peacemakers Sermon on 12 th November at 9.30 and 10.55am services Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake Sermon on 19 th November at 9.30 and 11.15am services Study nine BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE Matthew 5:10-12 1. This final Beatitude becomes one of the most searching of all of them, and binds up the rest; for if the disciple of Jesus never experiences any persecution at all, it may fairly be asked where righteousness is being displayed in their life. (Don Carson) Discuss. 2. What does it mean and not mean to be persecuted for righteousness sake? 3. Read John 15:18-20. Why does the world hate Jesus, and why does it hate his disciples? All Saints at Prayer Every third Wednesday at 12noon and 8.00pm for an hour. Page 2 20 th September, 18 th October, 15 th November, and 20 th December Discipleship Nights An opportunity to look at a subject in a little more depth. More details will follow in All Saints News and on the website. Wed 4 th Oct Thu 23 rd Nov The Whole Bible in one hour (Speaker: Stuart Silk) Parenting children with additional needs (Speaker: Rachel Wilson, co-author of The Life You Never Expected: Thriving while parenting special needs children) 4. Why is a Christian to rejoice and be glad? How does the promise a heavenly reward give us hope in earthly persecution? 5. Pray for each member of your Connect Group to have boldness and courage in living for Jesus this week. Pray also for persecuted Christians around the world. Open Doors, one of All Saints Mission Partners, has the latest information at www.opendoorsuk.org/news. 6. When you get home Read and meditate on 1 Peter 3:8-22. Page 11
Study eight BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS Matthew 5:9 1. Think of someone you know that is a peacemaker. What sort of qualities do they have? 2. The word peace appears over 350 times in the Bible, so is clearly important to God! In this Beatitude, Jesus does not say it is the peaceful, or those who long for peace who are blessed the peacemakers. How is God a peacemaker? How can we be peacemakers? 3. Read Acts 10:34-37. What message does Peter give? What is the crux of Peter s message about the mission of Jesus, the Son of God? Why are peacemakers called sons of God? In Jewish thought, son of bears the meaning partaker of the character of, or the like. Son of God may have a different connotation than child of God. Both expressions can refer to some sort of filial relationship; but the former has more emphasis on character than position. (Don Carson) 4. Read Romans 14:17-19. What will it look like for you to pursue what makes for peace in the home, with your neighbours, at work, in church, etc. 5. Share one thing you intend to do differently as a result of this study. Pray for each other that you would be blessed peacemakers. Study one INTRODUCING THE BEATITUDES Matthew 5:1-12 1. Beatitude comes from the Latin word beatus, meaning blessed, happy. Who in the eyes of the world is seen to have a blessed or happy life? 2. Read verses 3-12. Who in Jesus eyes is seen to have a blessed or happy life? 3. Read Matthew 4:12 5:2, which outlines the beginning of Jesus public ministry. What do Jesus words and actions suggest are going to be his priorities for the next three years? How do the Beatitudes describe what his followers priorities should be? 4. The Beatitudes have been described as, a Christian s character (John Stott), the norms of the kingdom (Don Carson), eight definitions that turn our understanding of success on its head (Tim Hawkins), and a summons to live in the present in the way that will make sense in God s promised future (Tom Wright). How does each of these descriptions help us understand more about what Jesus is saying here? 5. What would living the Beatitudes look like for you at home/work/leisure? Share with the group as appropriate, and pray for more Christ-like attitudes and actions this week. Page 10 Page 3
Study two BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT Matthew 5:3 1. What do you think Jesus meant by the term poor in Spirit? Is this a description you would consider for yourself? Why/why not? (See also Isaiah 66:2.) Study seven BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART Matthew 5:8 1. Popular western culture tends to make a distinction between the head and the heart (or reason and emotion). What does the Bible say about our hearts? (See Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 15:17-20, and Luke 6:45, for example.) 2. Why might Jesus have started the list of Beatitudes with this one? 3. Why is the kingdom of heaven an apt blessing for the spiritually humble? 2. How does Jesus explore the purity of our hearts in the rest of Matthew 5? (You might like to focus on the specific issues in verses 33-48.) 3. Why does Jesus say the blessing of a pure heart is to see God? 4. Read Luke 18:9-14. How does Jesus parable add to our understanding of this Beatitude? 4. What are some of the temptations and challenges we face that will stop us having pure hearts and seeing God? Share and pray for each other as appropriate. 5. Use 2 Corinthians 8:9 as a prompt to give thanks to God for all he has done for us in the Lord Jesus. 5. Read Psalm 24: 3-4. Why should this drive us back to the mercy of God? Give thanks that the Lord Jesus exchanged his purity for our sin so we might see God (2 Corinthians 5:21). 6. Close by reading Psalm 51:10-12 together as a group. Page 4 Page 9
Study six BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL Matthew 5:7 1. What do the following Bible verses/passages teach us about the nature and origin of mercy? Psalm 28:6, Psalm 103:1-4, Psalm 123; Hosea 6:6, Luke 6:36, Ephesians 2:1-5, Hebrews 4:16. Study three BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN Matthew 5:4 1. As seen in Study One, Beatitude means blessed, happy. How can we be happy when we are mourning? What type of mourning is Jesus referring to here? 2. As appropriate, describe a time when you became keenly aware of God s mercy to you. How did it impact you to know that you were so deeply loved by God? 3. Remind yourself of Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35). At the end, Jesus asks the lawyer, Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise. What will it look like for you to go, and do likewise in your: Family? Workplace? Community? Church? Elsewhere? 4. What promise does Jesus make to those who show mercy? What specifically does this mean for you? 5. Tim Hawkins says that being merciful means, you help someone even when they don t deserve it. You are not looking to pay back even when they are wrong. Use Romans 5:6-8 as a springboard for prayer. 2. How does this link to the previous beatitude? (see also James 4:7-10) 3. In this Beatitude, Jesus is talking about a person who is upset by the sin they see. How do you feel when you see the sin that is in the world? How do you feel about the sin that is in your own life? (Tim Hawkins) Reflect on Hawkins questions, and consider how upset you really are by sin. 4. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. In his vision of the Lord, what is Isaiah concerned about? How will his sins be atoned for? 5. God comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-5), but what is so significant about what will happen to our mourning in Revelation 21:4? How is this a comfort to the faithful? Page 8 Page 5
Study four BLESSED ARE THE MEEK Matthew 5:5 1. What sort of words come to mind when you hear the word meek? (See below for Carson s definition after you have thought of some!) 2. Further on in Matthew s gospel, Jesus describes himself as gentle and lowly in heart (11:29), and it was prophesied of him that a bruised reed he will not break and smouldering wick he will not quench (12:20). Are we always so careful in our dealings with others, i.e. do we show meekness? 3. John Stott says, meekness denotes a humble and gentle attitude to others which is determined by a true estimate of ourselves. I am quite happy to recite [a confession] in church and call myself a miserable sinner [but] I am not prepared to allow others to think or speak of me what I have just acknowledged before God. There is a basic hypocrisy here; there always is when meekness is absent. Discuss. 4. Why does Jesus say that the meek shall inherit the earth? (an echo of Psalm 37:11) 5. Pray that each person in the group would receive with meekness the implanted word (James 1:21), that is, submit to God s ways, even perhaps especially when it is hard to do so. Meekness is not, as many people imagine, a weakness. It must not be confused with being wish-washy. A meek person is not necessarily indecisive or timid. Still less is meekness to be confused with mere affability. Some people are naturally nice and easy-going; but then again, so are some dogs. Meekness goes much deeper. Meekness is a controlled desire to see other s interest advance ahead of one s own. Page 6 Study five BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS Matthew 5:6 1. What things (objects, experiences, people, etc) do you really look forward to, yearn for, even? 2. Read Psalm 42:1-2 and Psalm 63:1. What was the attitude and desire of the Psalmists? How does our attitude to God compare to theirs? 3. In this Beatitude, Jesus says we are blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness. The word righteousness here means a pattern of life in conformity to God s will (Don Carson). What does this sort of life look like? What sorts of things compete for our attention and affection? (e.g. Matthew 6:25-32) 4. Jesus says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be satisfied. (Isaiah 25:6 and 55:1 are examples of God offering a rich feast.) Why then are we tempted to seek satisfaction in things other than God and living his way? 5. Spend a little time thinking over, and praying through, Matthew 6:33. Page 7