Beatitudes: April 9, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 9, 2012.

BEATITUDES

DEFINITION:

The statements of Jesus on blessedness in the Sermon on the Mount.

SCRIPTURE:

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Each day for the next 8 days we will discuss one of the eight Beatitudes that Jesus taught His disciples and the masses when He preached His famous Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Mathew chapter 5.

Crowds were following Jesus wanting to hear more about the kingdom of God and how to be part of it. When Jesus saw that there was a huge crowd following Him, He climbed a hillside, found a quiet place and sat down. From that hillside location he began to teach what came to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.

The beatitudes define the character qualities that Jesus expects of those who would be part of His kingdom. The Beatitudes are the ATTITUDES that should BE evident in the lives of those who love the Lord.

The Sermon on the Mount is our King Jesus’ manifesto of His principles. It has gone down through the centuries known as the greatest of all sermons ever preached. The disciples and the multitudes that listened were in awe. Jesus’ principles were so different and completely new to them.

Jesus followers wanted to make Him King, but Jesus had made it clear that the King could not establish His kingdom on earth because the Jewish people would not repent and accept the Messiah as their King. Thus we do not have yet the kingdom on earth but we do have the King’s manifesto (proclamation) presented by Jesus in this sermon. We are to put into practice these principles of His manifesto as we live in this corrupt world system because we are Christ’s representatives to those who are lost.

The Beatitudes reveal the secret of true happiness to us as believers. We need to remember that our happiness is not found in the things we have but in what we are in Christ Jesus. We encourage you to study these Beatitudes with us for these next eight days with an open heart, a receptive mind, and a humble spirit, always being in prayer.

In these Beatitudes Jesus chose to teach reversed values. God’s values contradict the world’s values. In other words, instead of teaching about the rich he taught about the poor. By doing it this way He wanted to dispute the conventional wisdom of the time which said the wealthy and influential enjoyed more of God’s blessings. Jesus wanted His followers to see that material things are only temporary and certainly not the only reality in life. He did not want them to think that their current situations were signs of God’s blessings or judgment; instead He wanted the masses and the disciples to see that the poor can be spiritually wealthy.

Seldom in history have so few words been spoken with so much meaning as what Jesus spoke in these beatitudes. The Beatitudes of our Lord, as they are known to us today, are powerful, holding before us and the world a descriptive picture of the true disciple of God. The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward that the believer can expect not only now but in eternity.

For the next eight days set a time aside each day to read our devotional and then go to Matthew and read the beatitudes all together. You will be reading your King’s manifesto, your guideline for a spirit filled life here on earth. Be blessed, as we are, with our study of these beatitudes.

LEARNING:

This week we will memorize the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.

You shall not murder.

PRAYER:

Thank You for this wonderful manifesto that You have given the disciples and the masses that sat and listened to You as you taught the Sermon on the Mount. Thank You that these Beatitudes are relevant for me and my family today. Help me to be drawn closer to You as I study these each day.