Beautiful Beatitudes Thursday

A politician went to have his portrait done and upon seeing the results was quite upset about how his pictures had turned out. He went in and griped at the photographer and said, “These pictures do not do me justice!” “Justice?” the photographer said, “with a face like yours, you do not need justice; you need mercy.”

Question: What is justice? What is mercy?

How mercy builds upon righteousness

Previously we studied the righteousness of God, of Christ and of humans. Longing for righteousness must be followed by mercy. A poor spirit (5:3) leads to mourning (5:4) which leads to humility (5:5), followed by a desire for righteousness (5:6). We have no righteousness apart from faith.

In light of that, how can we have anything except for a merciful heart? The word for can be translated because. The verse could read, “Merciful people are happy, because they too shall obtain mercy.” They do not carry grudges or keep a score of debts. They dispense mercy, knowing that they have and shall receive mercy themselves, and are happier for it.

We sometimes think mercy is the opposite of justice, but actually it is a complement to it. When we see justice, we see the need for mercy. A mother of a man accused of a serious crime went to Napoleon and pled for mercy. “Mercy for that scoundrel? He doesn’t deserve it!” was Napoleon’s reply. The mother said, “Sir, it wouldn’t be mercy if he deserved it!” The mother's logic prompted Napoleon to relent, “Well, then, I will have mercy.”

Some people use this and other verses on forgiveness to say that God’s mercy on us depends on our mercy towards others. Such thinking is contradictory to what the word mercy means…we shall obtain mercy because of our sins, not because of our good works.

Question: What is the opposite of being a merciful person?

Mercy for the miserable

The Greek word for merciful and mercy is based on eleos which is a descriptive adjective and is not based on emotions. In other words, God doesn’t feel sorry for us, but rather He is a merciful in His nature. The Latin word is miserecordia which sounds a lot like our word, miserable. In fact, the King James translates a Greek word similar to eleos to miserable twice. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19)

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). A person who needs mercy is miserable and a person who refuses to give it will eventually become miserable.

Read Romans 9:16 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Luke 6:36 “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”

Now read Matthew 6:12,14-15 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. …For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Questions: Who is it that initiates mercy, God or us? Do we have to do anything to deserve mercy? What do others have to do in order for us to be merciful?

Being merciful is a Be-Attitude

What is your attitude towards others who are miserable and pitiable? The worse someone is, the more they need mercy. In God’s eyes, how someone acts towards us is not what’s most important, but rather how we react. The word merciful is not a noun, but rather an adjective. It describes who the believer is, and not just what he does.

Questions: When you are wronged, do you seek justice or mercy? Now, when you are wrong, do you seek justice or mercy?

When and how do we obtain mercy?

If we are merciful, we may notice that others are merciful toward us and we will see God’s mercy come to us like a reflection in a mirror. It is more than just receiving mercy in heaven, but we shall obtain mercy here as well. So how can we go beyond our hurts and get to healing?

Don’ts 

and 

do’s

1) Don’t nurse, burn

1) Immerse, don’t churn

   (Job 11:16, Acts 19:19)

(Mic. 7:19, Prov. 30:33)

2) Don’t rehearse, spurn                                            

2) Reverse, don’t yearn

   (Heb. 8:12, 10:17)

(Isa. 61:3, Ex. 14:12)

3) Don’t curse, learn                                                   

3) Verse, don’t turn

   (Prov. 9:9, 2 Cor. 1:4)

(Ps. 119:10-11)

Beautiful Beatitudes Wednesday

Righteousness builds upon meekness

After meekness, there is a thirst and hunger for righteousness. Righteousness is not merely doing right and avoiding wrong. That is legalism. Without meekness, such a desire would only result in self-righteousness. Righteousness is right standing before God brought about by the righteousness of God and results in a continued path to blessed happiness.

The Righteousness of God

God’s righteousness is explained in Phil. 3:9. “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Paul was righteous by the Law, but when judged by God, Paul’s righteousness fell short of God’s perfection.

We are to yearn not for our righteousness, but for God’s righteousness. Romans 1:17 says that the God’s righteousness is revealed by faith.

God’s rule says that sacrificial blood brings about forgiveness of sin. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). Blood on the altar will make atonement for the soul. But not the blood of animals. Psalms 40:6 says, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.” Hebrews 10:4 says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”            

So whose blood? The blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:12 says, “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

So how can we know that God will keep His promise, to forgive us of our sins? By trusting that God is righteous. This is said again in Rom. 3:21-22a, “²¹ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.”

The famous line of Rom. 3:23 is actually a dependent clause of a sentence explaining God’s righteousness is shown by faith:

We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. (New Living Translation)

We are saved because God is righteous. We hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness. To do otherwise is ignorant Romans 10 says, “³ For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Questions: Do you feel smug about how good you are compared to others? Are you looking at others’ sins rather than God’s righteousness?

The Righteousness of Christ

Jesus was the only one who was righteous in God’s sight. 2 Cor. 5:21 says Christ’s sacrifice made us righteous, even though we aren’t. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 1 Peter 3 also explains that Jesus, the just, died for us, the unjust, “¹⁸ Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” (NLT)

Only Christ fulfills the righteous requirements of the Law; only His blood on the altar is pure. Romans 8 says, “³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Question: How are you affected by the “great exchange” of Christ becoming sin, even though He had none, so that we could have His righteousness, even though we have none?

The Righteousness of Man

After we hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness and the righteousness in Christ, we truly long for our righteousness. But unlike a longing for food to satisfy ourselves, we long to bear fruit. 2 Cor. 9 says:

¹⁰” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

After we are saved, we bear righteous fruit, as James 3:18 says, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Paul said in Eph 5:9, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” and again in Phil. 1:11 “being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

They shall be satisfied

There is a verse that says “do not become weary in doing good or at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9, NIV). If you are not feeling satisfied or filled in all you are doing, it may be because you are looking at the wrong things. Self-righteousness comes in comparison to others. Satisfying-righteousness looks to the harvest.

Question: What type of fruit do you bear? Are you doing good but with the wrong attitude? If you long for righteousness and are not filled, whose righteousness are you hungering and thirsting for?

 

Wednesday’s “Be-Attitude”

Kid’s Korner by Morgan Perry

When Jesus tells us we should “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” He wants us to crave a friendship with Him and God. He wants us to desire to know Him more than any other thing we can think of.

 

Tell me examples of how you want a friend to treat you.

 

How can you show God you love Him and want to be His friend?

 

 

Beautiful Beatitudes Tuesday

Meek people are happy and vice versa

Have you ever seen a proud, arrogant person who was truly happy? Generally, they find fault with others in order to maintain their perceived superiority. On the other hand, a meek, gentle, lowly and humble person tends to be quite content with what life and circumstances bring.

Question: Who is someone who demonstrates meekness?

 

Humility follows mourning

Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  But because it rhymes with “weakness,” we often have a misunderstanding of the word. Jesus described Himself as meek (Matt. 11:29) but He certainly wasn’t weak. If you have ever had to genuinely show humility, gentleness and meekness, it is certainly one of the hardest things a Christian is called to do. Someone described being meek as being:

Mighty-Being meek is not for the weak or faint of heart

Emotionally Stable-Meek people control their emotions

Educable-You cannot teach a proud person

Kind-Without loving kindness, all else is clanging noise

In this Beatitude, Jesus quotes Psalm 37:10-11: For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

After an impoverished spirit and mourning over sins, we inherit a sense of lowliness, knowing that only by the grace of God are we saved. The beatitudes grow within us as attitudes and actions we submissively develop. We should be making make steps upwards in our Christian discipleship for the rest of our lives.

If we reject meekness, we need to go back to impoverishing our prideful self-spirit and mourn over our sins, asking the Holy Spirit to infill us, to control us and to impart His spiritual fruit within us.

Questions: How are the beatitudes steps are like the picture to the right?

 

Happy are the mighty

When we think of meekness, mightiness does not come to mind. But it should. A picture of meekness is often given of a strong and wild horse, brought under control, utilizing his mighty strength as a great asset. Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 10:

¹Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: ²But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Question: How are you strong in meekness?

 

Happy are the emotionally stable

Jesus was emotionally stable. When insults were hurled at Him, He did not return them. During His crucifixion, he could have called down legions of angels, yet he didn’t lose control. He knew who He was, what His inheritance was and what the final outcome would be. See Matt. 11.

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Question: When are you emotionally out of control?

 

Happy are the educable

  James, the half-brother of the Lord, at first rejected Jesus as the Messiah. But with a teachable heart, he learned meekness. He wrote that we should “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” In James 3:13-18, he wrote of meekness and wisdom:

 

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth...

Questions: Can you learn from your mistakes? Better yet, do you?

 

Happy are the kind

A meek person is kind, not quick to pounce, having the love described in 1 Corinthians 13. A meek person will show the gospel as described in 1 Peter 3:15-16, “¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ¹⁶ having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

Question: Why is it hard for believers to be kind?

 

The oxymoronic Beatitude

The teachings of Christ often seem contradictory or oxymoronic. A person who inherits the earth surely is one who fought, clawed, and bargained to win. This beatitude seemingly goes against common sense: the meek often are taken advantage of. They don’t inherit the earth.

But notice the word “inherit.”  We inherit a kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). Just as the poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven, we will someday inherit an earth on which we shall reign (Rev. 5:10, 20:6).

Question: Where do we reign after the millennium (Rev. 22:5)?

 

Tuesday’s “Be-Attitude”            Kid’s Korner by Morgan Perry

Jesus is telling us we should be meek. Being meek means you are gentle, you don’t brag and you obey your parents, teachers and any others you know you should respect.

 

How can you be meek?

 

Is it easy or hard for you to be meek?

 

If you find it hard to be meek, what should you do?

 

Beautiful Beatitudes Monday

Mourning follows a poor spirit

The first step to spiritual happiness begins with a poor self-spirit, a humility springing from admitting that we cannot save ourselves. In response, God gives us the kingdom of heaven. In verse 4, we see the truly saved will have a godly sorrow over sins. Happy are those who mourn? The Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians chapter 7:9-11.

⁹Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. ¹⁰For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

The second step in the Beatitudes acknowledges our sins in a profound way: to mourn with a deep sense of grief, often associated with the death (Mark 16:10, Luke 6:21). Coming face to face with the seriousness of our sins, we have a deep sense of sorrow that greatly needs comforting. Mourning produces a genuine repentance (a change inside) and a burden is then lifted off, and God’s healing comfort will come in.

Questions: How does sorrow bring about repentance and salvation? Do ALL Christians mourn over their past sins? Have you come to a place in your life where you have mourned over your sins? Has God forgiven you?

Godly mourning is better than worldly pleasures

Godly mourning is lacking in many “feel good” churches preaching positive messages, affirming the congregation’s self- esteem. But the mourning over our sin and the receiving God’s comforting forgiveness allows us to come face to face with how sinful we are and there is a very real need for a Savior. Read Ecclesiastes 7:

² Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. ⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

The Bible warns against the “pleasures” of sin being short-lived. Hebrews 11 says, “²⁴ By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” That “pleasure of sin for a season” (KJV) has no eternal rewards.

Questions: How can good come out of sorrow? Give an example. Can people be sorry for their sins, but not repent? Does sorrow without repentance lead to salvation?

Godly mourning is broader than just our sins

Christians also mourn over sins in the world. Paul lamented over sinners in 2 Cor. 12:21 “I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness….” There is a godly sorrow which should burden us to share the gospel.

Some say that Christians shouldn’t judge others or call out sin as sin. But if that were so, would our nation have ever brought to an end the evils of slavery? We should sorrow over sins and the lost world.

Question: What are some of the world’s sins over the ages for which the church has mourned and then seen changed?

Good mourning: comfort from God

   The beatitudes are steps of progress in our salvation. The second reward is in our comfort. The word for comfort is paraklethesontai. Those who know Greek will quickly recognize the cognate word, Paraklete, a word which Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit.

¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; ¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth…²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you…⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you… (John 14:16-17a, 26; 16:7.)  

We have the kingdom of heaven and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. If you mourn over your sins and the sins of the world, God will comfort you.

 

Question: Which is more important: that you have the kingdom of heaven (eternal life) or God’s Comforter within you right now?

 Others will also comfort you

Not only will we be comforted by God, but others will also comfort us. The first two chapters of 2 Corinthians uses “comfort” more than anywhere else in the Bible. Do you need some comfort? Read the following:

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

If you read 1 Cor. 5 with this passage, you will see a church which did not mourn over sin. Paul prompted the church to have godly sorrow, sinners repented, and the church was restored and comforted.

Question: Has God comforted you and then used you to comfort others?

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Kid’s Korner by Morgan Perry     Monday’s “Be-Attitude”

Here, Jesus is telling us we should be sad, or sorry, for the sins we choose to do.

 

How does it make Jesus feel when you choose to sin? (Bad)

 

When we choose to sin, over choosing what God wants us to do, what should we do? (Ask for His forgiveness and help)

 

Should you continue to be sad after asking for His forgiveness? (No)

 

Should you keep committing the same sin, knowing that all you have to do is ask God to forgive you? (No, you need to make every effort to make better choices, asking God to help you.)