Great class Wednesday night. What I thought would be a quick read/ discussion of very familiar verses, became a very blessed time of study. As we learn in verse 1, this was a teaching moment. These words were spoken to open our eyes and minds, words of instruction for the disciples and us. It was pointed out that each verse reveals a human condition that mirrors Jesus, and then the blessing from God for that condition.
Blessed are:
The "poor in spirit" , an awareness of our human condition, our spiritual poverty, our neediness, and sinfulness. That awareness makes the kingdom of heaven available to us.
Those who "mourn" will be comforted. If we care about the things God cares about...sin, hopelessness, sadness, temptation, etc. we will receive comfort and become comforters to others.
The "meek" will inherit the earth...be blessed with sustaining abundance. The meek man is one who submits, not to his own will or to the will of the world, but to will of God. Not prideful.
Those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness sake" will be filled. We will have a full life when we live in accordance with the will of God. Allowing His Spirit to lead us will eliminate all the confusion of life.
The "merciful" will receive mercy. Having a heart of gentleness, tenderness, compassion...the heart of Christ.
The "pure in heart" for they will see God. Here we discussed and acknowledge that we can never have a pure heart and that is why we need a Savior. The only way to a pure heart is to invite Christ into our lives, repenting and acknowledging our need for His blood to wash away our sins. Christ's blood is the only way to see God.
The "peacemakers" for they will be called children of God. Ours deeds, our words, our reasoning, our behavior needs to be evidence that we are Christians. God rejoices when we are identified with him and not the world. We need to be examples for others, not blend in with everyone else.
Those who are "persecuted for righteousness' sake" for theirs is the kingdom heaven. People today will turn against us for not conforming, just as they did against Christ.
Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people revile and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."
As we look at these passages we see the nature of Christ and we also noticed how these verses highlighted His ministry. He began His ministry by baptism, being fill by the Holy Spirit. Then he walked with his disciples, meek and merciful, caring for the lost, the sick, and the poor. Always speaking the truth and not conforming to the false teachings of the world. He showed us how to be witnesses for His Father. And then the persecution and suffering that he underwent for our sakes and for the glory of His Father.
Discover and Proclaim the Truth of The Bible which is: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." (John 3:16 NRSV). Jesus came to humanity to proclaim and give evidence to that love and He has commanded us to do the same. We, who believe, must not merely be followers, but we must be proclaimers of the Gospel Message and we can only do that by being filled with the love of God.
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