Questions on beatitudes, can you help?

Question

It got sprang on me this evening at church that I would be leading our bible study class on Wednesday and the topic is beatitudes found in Matthew chapter 5. That doesn't leave me with much time to prepare very much so I'm asking for any insight or information that you might think helpful. Thanks in advance.

CEM, good point. Occasionally I find participants here very knowledgeable on a variety of topics and sometimes I find people generous enough to share that knowledge. I will use all the resources available to me including my own research and prayers.

Answer 1

First of all PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! I think God will lead you, but if you insist on gathering something here, then I will look into some tried and true teaching on the Beatitudes from this fellow…

John Macarthur. He broke his teachings on the Beatitudes down like this: 

A Humble Spirit
A Repentant Spirit
A Meek Composure
A parched Soul
A Merciful Compassion
A Pure Heart
A Passion for Peace
A Steadfast Love for Christ

I will scan key points from his book and add them here in a bit. I have to take care of something and then I can come back. K? But I am using John MacArthur's Book called, "The Quest for Character."
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-----A Humble Spirit --- "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus' sermon starts with a blessing for broken people who recognize their own spiritual bankruptcy. Matthew 5:20 reveals that perfection is the goal, but impossible [Without Jesus]. James 2:10 reveals that failing to keep even one law makes a person guilty of all laws. Once this is discovered about ourselves this should bring about TRUE SPIRITUAL HUMILITY!

------A Repentant Spirit - Blessed are those who Mourn, for they shall be comforted," This is not talking about mourning with an earthly bereavement; instead with a grief over one's own guilt, the sorrow of repentance over sin. This is echoed in Isaiah 61:1-2 "Realizing you are spiritually bankrupt is a truth you grasp intellectually. Mourning over your sin is the natural response of the emotions." pp21 See also 2 Corinthians 7:10 where Paul talks of Godly sorrow producing repentance, leading to salvation.

----A Meek Composure ---Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Being meek is not being fainthearted, spineless or timid. Moses was not like that and Scripture says Moses was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3) "Meekness is not weakness" It is rather, *strength under control" "Meekness is where humility and self-control meet."pp24 And we find in 1 Peter 2:22,23 the epitome of true meekness found in none other than Jesus Christ. Inheriting the earth is a promise of salvation and eternal life. It echoes the promise of Psalm 149:4

------A Parched Soul ---- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled! "Want to be truly satisfied? Cultivate and feed an appetite for righteousness." pp26 What is your appetite for? Is it for things of this world; pleasure, prestige, power, popularity, possessions? Or are you longing for righteousness ---the glory of God, the truth of Scripture, the fellowship of godly people, and Christ like virtue? James 4:4 "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Martyn Lloyd Jones said this about the 4th Beatitude: "If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of Scripture, you can be quite certain you are a Christian; if it is not, then you had better examine the foundations again."

-----A Merciful Compassion ---- "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." "Notice how every one of the Beatitudes focuses on what we are, not merely what we do. Jesus was not encouraging His hearers to act humble, put on a show of repentance, feign a spirit of meekness, or otherwise pretend to be righteous. That is where the Pharisees excelled. Jesus said they were like whitewashed tombs, sparkling clean and neat ----looking good on the outside, but full of death and decay on the inside" (Matthew 23:27)pp30

There is a progression in the Beatitudes, each one building a foundation for the other. A person who recognizes he is merely a spiritual beggar will be more merciful toward others. Those who mourn over their sin will also show mercy to other sinners. Meekness is one of the qualities of mercy itself. And since mercy is an aspect of righteousness, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will by definition be people who love mercy. See also: Psalm 145:9, Lamentations 3:22-23 and Micah 6:8

------A Pure Heart ----"Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God." Just as in the Ten Commandments, "the Beatitudes condemn us all. But they serve a vital and very helpful purpose. They show us our need for a Savior." pp35
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" Being sinful we need forgiveness, a cleansing of our sins found in Christ Jesus. See 1 Peter 2:22, Isaiah 53:4-5, 1 John 1:9 "But there is an ongoing cleansing that takes place daily as we continue confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness. The Spirit of God conforms us to Christ’s true likeness... David understood this process. When he sinned---even when he sinned monstrously---he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)... We don't have completely pure hearts yet. Daily we are being conformed to the image of Christ, and one day He will glorify us completely (1 John 3:2), so that in the integrity of a perfectly pure heart, WE WILL SEE GOD!" pp37

-----A Passion for Peace ---"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God." God is a God of peace (Philippians 4:9) "The starting point for authentic peace is peace with God." pp39 Desiring peace doesn't mean we won't have conflict. In fact Ephesians 6:12-20 describes the Christian life as a perpetual state of warfare. Still we ought to love peace and hate conflict. "Christ who encountered His share of conflict during His earthly ministry, never aroused conflict for conflict sake. On the other hand, Jesus never sought to avoid conflict or persecution for the sake of a false peace. See James 3:17 Hebrews 12:14, Isaiah 57:21 and Romans 5:1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" One of the best ways we can be peacemakers is by proclaiming the gospel of reconciliation to a world in conflict. In the words of the apostle Paul, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20)

------A Steadfast Love for Christ---"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." ---2 Timothy 3:12 "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

Persecution is not having to deal with the everyday annoyances of life, but rather persecution applies to those who take a stand for Christ and suffer because of it. "What Jesus is talking about here is REAL persecution. There are two vital qualifying expressions: "Falsely," and "For My sake." 
Note: True persecution is undeserved and unprovoked. A televangelist who dishonors Christ through ungodly behavior cannot claim the blessing of the persecuted when the world scorns him for his hypocrisy." pp43 Read 1 Peter 2:23 and 1 Corinthians 15:58
Source(s):

Answer 2

well remember that the sermon on the mount is a amazing event, because it was there that you realize that Christ is exposing to the world reality at its rawest, not religion. He was saying, "you have heard" and then telling you how life really is. also in this section he quotes alot of rabbi's teaching, and tells how thy are wrong. But with the beatitudes, notice that he is mostly talking about people who are down, the poor, the spiritually dead, the meek, etc. and remember why he would do this. the people he was preaching for was the poorest of the poor in the land. and he wasnt preaching an idea, he was totally preaching hope. giving them hope that the rich and "fortunate" do not matter any more in the Kingdom than the poor and ugly and unintelligent. there is much much more to this, i would say, read the book "Jesus i never knew" by Phillip Yancey, he covers this section very well.

Answer 3

Tell the folks Jesus wasn't kidding when he gave us the BE ATTITUDES.

Then explain the practical application and basic meaning of each one.

God richly blesses the humble of heart:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Trust in the Lord. He will provide:
Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.

Christ is the consoler and the only antidote to eternal death:
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

We reap what we sow:
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

Forgive others and you will also be forgiven by God:
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Knowing God fills the heart with love, leaving no room for malice:
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

True Christians are brothers and sisters of Jesus, the "Prince of Peace":
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Always stand up for godly principles. Never tolerate evil or sin:
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus personified all of these principles, even unto death on the cross.

The least we can do, with the aid of God's grace, is try to do the same.

Answer 4

You can look at the Beattitudes as Blessings. Jesus says,
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: Why?
Because their's is the kingdom of heaven.

You might ask them what it means to be poor in the spirit. Or why did Jesus say that about them. When we are week in the spirit, then we need help. We need the help that only Jesus can give.

2. Blessed are they that morn: for they shall be comforted.
Who is the one that gives this comfort? The Holy Spirit.

Continue on like that because after each one there is an answer.

Answer 5

One way to view the Beatitudes is as a progression of spiritual awakening. Here is what I mean:

The poor in spirit, related to 'bowing down' in the original, is a recognition of spiritual poverty or depravity

Mourning follows recognition

Meekness follow mourning, humbled by recognition of spiritual imperfection and the mourning accompanied

The desire, or hunger and thirst, for righteousness follows meekness, as those who have recognized their spiritual poverty, mourned for that, and been humbled by it seek to rectify their inadequacies

Those who address their spiritual poverty will be merciful, just as God has been merciful to them; this they will do as they seek out righteousness

The pure in heart are those who have continued to seek righteousness and have, to an extent, achieved it, partly by being merciful

The peacemakers are not only merciful and pure in heart, but also harvest righteousness by sowing peace (James 3:18). Only those who have been through the above truly seek peace

Those who are persecuted for their righteousness have obtained a certain state of enlightenment because they recognize that persecution means they are doing what the world hates and also that the limited persecution they endure here is nothing compared to the blessedness of their eternal future. Verses 11 and 12 go on to speak of this.

Just some thoughts for you

Answer 6

It is commonly thought that the beatitudes describe attributes for different people, when in fact it describes attributes all true Christians should have {the poor in spirit, who mourn, meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers}, and it describes the rewards all true Christians will receive {kingdom of heaven, comforte, inherit the earth, be filled, be shown mercy, will see God, be called sons of God}.

Answer 7

The best thing to remember is that Jesus is doing the teaching
in this passage, And remember, Every time HE says Blessed ,
It means Happy and joyful,
I hope this helps, Yes as a Christian we are Blessed beyond words,

Answer 8

I'm surprised that you would come here for your spiritual knowledge. Don't you think it be smart if you took this to Our Father in prayer and be led by His Holy Spirit to His Word.><>

Answer 9

Large topic...can you narrow it a bit!