A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
MATTHEW 5:1-12 continued
Lesson #10
THE BEATITUDES continued
- Memory verse: Psalms 34:8
- Beatitude #5
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
- The Greek word for merciful is (eleemon)
- A word not translatable into English.
- The Hebrew word for merciful is (chesedh)
- It means the ability to get right inside another person’s skin and see things with their eyes, think things with their mind, feel things with their feelings.
- The closest word in English would be the word, empathy. It goes beyond sympathy.
- Beatitude #5
We have a basic principle of the New Testament in this beatitude.
This principle is stated in several different ways:
What you sow, you will reap.
Give and it shall be given to you.
Do for others and they will do for you.
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- The deeper meaning:
- Oh the joy of the man who gets right inside other people until he can see with their eyes, think their thoughts, feel with their feelings. He who does that will find others do the same for him and will know that is what God in Jesus Christ has done!
- Once we begin our spiritual life with Christ, we must begin to live according to kingdom principles. This involves our relationships with other people.
- To gain a merciful attitude:
- Work on forgiving all who injure or offend you and return love and understanding.
- The evidence of violation of this attitude: Bitterness, resentment, and holding grudges
- The deeper meaning:
- Beatitude #6
- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
- The Greek word for pure is (katharos) and is used in a variety of ways.
- =1= Originally it meant clean. It was used for dirty clothes which had been washed.
- =2= It was also used for corn that had been winnowed or sifted and cleaned of all chaff. (That reminds us of the parable in Mat 3:12)
- =3= Along with other Greek words, it was used for milk or wine that had not been diluted with water.
- The deeper meaning:
- Oh, the joy of the man who has a heart that has been examined and cleansed of any impure motives, or anything that causes it to be watered down or mixed with anything impure, for he will someday see God!
- For Christian growth, this beatitude demands constant and discriminating self-examination of one’s motives.
- To gain a pure heart:
- Put your motives and desires under the control of Christ.
- The evidence of violation of this attitude: Moral impurity
- Beatitude #7
- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
- In English we think of peace as being the absence of trouble.
- The Greek word peace (eirene).
- The Hebrew word peace is (shalom).
- In Hebrew, peace is never just a negative state of being the absence of trouble.
- Peace includes everything that contains the highest good for man.
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The blessing is not just for those who love peace, but those who do the work of peace.
The man who makes peace is busy doing the work which the God of peace is doing. (2Cor 13:11 Heb 13:20-21)
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- The person of peace is making the world a better place in which to live.(2)
- He is keeping peace in his own heart and soul.
- He is keeping right relationships with other people.
- The deeper meaning:
- Oh, the joy of the man who is keeping right relationships with others, and as a result is making the world a better place to live. In doing that, he is doing a God-like work!
- Maturing as a Christian means you are constantly working in this area of personal relationships with others.
- To become a peacemaker:
- The person of peace is making the world a better place in which to live.(2)
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Make things right with everyone you have wronged.
The evidence of violation of this attitude: Condemnation of others, and a guilty conscience
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- Beatitude #8
- “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
- This is the condition of the mature, committed Christian who like Paul can say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation…”(Rom 1:16)
- Notice that the persecution is because of taking a righteous stand for Christ and not suffering the consequences of your own sinful, stupid mistakes.
- Your commitment to Christ may mean you will lose your job rather than do something dishonest that is expected of you.
- Your commitment to Christ may mean you will lose your social life with your worldly friends.
- Your commitment to Christ may mean you will lose your family who disowns you because of your commitment.
- The early church suffered the following slanders:
- Christians were accused of being cannibals who sacrificed children and ate them. (Mat 26:26-28)
- Christians were accused of having sexual orgies called “love feasts” (agape). They greeted each other with a hug and a kiss.
- Christians were accused of inciting riots because they preached the end of the world and a new kingdom to come.
- Christians were accused of splitting families and family relationships.
- Christians were accused of treason and sedition against Rome and against the worship of the Roman Emperor as god.
- The deeper meaning:
- Oh, the joy of the man to whom God has called into persecution because he is so identified with Christ that people who persecute Christ will persecute him!
- Notice the proper response of the Christian being persecuted. (12)
- He is to rejoice and be exceedingly glad. These words in Greek mean he is to leap exceedingly with joy because he has reached the mountain peak and conquered the way up. Why?
- To suffer persecution makes things easier for those who are to follow.
- To suffer persecution means God has found you worthy of it and places his trust in you that you will do it well.
- To suffer persecution means that Christ is very close to you for no man suffers alone.
- To suffer persecution means your witness has awakened the conscience of the ungodly, of whom some might get saved for watching you.
- To gain a willingness to suffer persecution:
- Become so identified with Christ so that those who reject Christ will reject you.
- The evidence of violation of this attitude:
- Fear of witnessing, and a compromise of standards.
- Beatitude #8
Key lessons from the Sermon on the Mount
| Beatitude | Old Testament Anticipation | Clashing World Values | God’s Reward | How to Develop This Attitude |
| Poor in spirit | Isa 57:15 | Pride and personal independence | Kingdom of heaven | Jam 4:7-10 |
| Mourning | Isa 61:1,2 | Happiness at any cost | Comfort
2Cor 1:4 |
Psa 51
Jam 4:7-10 |
| Meekness | Psa 37:5-11 | Power | Inherit the earth | Mat 11:27-30 |
| Righteousness | Isa 11:4,5
Isa 42:1-4 |
Pursuing personal needs | Filled
(Satisfied) |
Joh 16:5-11
Phi 3:7-11 |
| Mercy | Psa 41:1 | Strength without feeling | Be shown mercy | Eph 5:1,2 |
| Pure in heart | Psa 24:3,4
Psa 51:10 |
Deception is acceptable | See God | 1Joh 3:1-3 |
| Peacemaker | Isa 57:18-19 | Personal peace is pursued without concern for the world’s chaos | Be called sons of God | Rom 12:9-21
Heb 12:10-11 |
| Persecuted | Isa 52:13
Isa 53:12 |
Weak commitments | Inherit the kingdom of heaven | 2Tim 3:12 |
- Summary:
- God desires people with a broken heart. Psa 51:17
| Proud People….. | Broken People…. |
| Focus on the failures of others | Are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need |
| Have a critical, fault-finding spirit; look at every one else’s faults with a microscope, but their own with a telescope | Are compassionate; can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven. |
| Are self-righteous and look down on others | Esteem all others better than themselves |
| Have an independent, self-sufficient spirit | Have a dependent spirit; recognizing their need for others |
| Have to prove they are right | Are willing to yield the right to be right |
| Claim rights; have a demanding spirit | Yield their rights, have a meek spirit |
| Are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation | Are self-denying |
| Desire to be served | Are motivated to serve others |
| Desire to be a success | Are motivated to be faithful and to make others a success |
| Desire self-advancement | Desire to promote others |
| Have a drive to be recognized and appreciated | Have a sense of their own unworthiness; are thrilled that God would use them at all |
| Are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked | Are eager for others to get the credit and rejoice when others are lifted up |
| Have a subconscious feeling, “This church is privileged to have me and my gifts.” | Know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives |
| Feel confident in how much they know | Are humbled by how very much they have yet to learn |
| Are self-conscious | Are not concerned with self at all |
| Keep others at arms’ length | Are willing to risk getting close to others |
| Are quick to blame others | Accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation |
| Are unapproachable or defensive when criticized | Receive criticism with an humble, open spirit |
| Are concerned with being respectable, with what others think; work to protect their own image and reputation | Are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; are willing to die to their own reputation |
| Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others | Are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs |
| Want to be sure that no one finds out when they have sinned; their instinct is to cover up | Once broken, they don’t care who knows or who finds out; are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose |
| Have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?” | Are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary |
| Tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin | Are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin |
| Are concerned about the consequences of their sin | Are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin |
| Are remorseful over their sin, sorry that they got caught | Are truly genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin |
| Wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in a relationship | Take the initiative to be reconciled when there is misunderstanding or conflict in relationships |
| Compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor | Compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for his mercy |
| Are blind to their true heart condition | Walk in the light |
| Don’t think they have anything for which to repent | Realize they have need of a continual heart attitude of repentance |
| Don’t think they need revival, but are sure that everyone else does | Continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of his Holy Spirit |
- By Nancy Demoss, Intercessors for America
Homework
Matthew 5:13-20
- Application of Mat 5:1-12
- On which of the 8 beatitudes do you need to work the hardest?
- What specific things will you do to build this attitude into your life?
- Preparation for Mat 5:13-20
- Read Mat 5:13-16
- What are the qualities of salt that make the Christian important in the world?
- What are the qualities of light that make the Christian important in the world?
- Read Mat 5:17-20
- If Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, why did He often condemn the scribes and Pharisees who kept the letter of the law?
- How did Jesus fulfill the Law?
- What did Jesus mean when he said our righteousness should go beyond that of the scribes and the Pharisees?
- Read Mat 5:13-16
- Memory verse: Mat 5:16
