Zoom Bible Study: Tuesday February 9th 2021 at 14:30 hours: Beatitudes Part 1
Joanne has chosen the “Beatitudes” (Matthew 5: 1-12) for our Bible Study this week. These verses (part of the wider Sermon on the Mount) are probably the most famous and among the least understood of the teachings of Jesus. We should not rush through these verses, so we will concentrate on the first two blessings only.
If you have the time, please read through Matthew chapters 5 to 7 before the group study. This will help us put these verses in a broader context.
1. What do verses 1 and 2 tell us about the context of this message and about Jesus’ listeners? Who are these teachings for?
2. How does our normal description of the “blessed” person compare with those the Lord considers blessed (vv. 1- 12)?
3. What do you understand “poor in spirit” (v. 3) to mean and why is the condition indispensible for receiving the kingdom of heaven? (Why is admitting our “spiritual bankruptcy” so hard for us to admit?)
4. Why would those who are poor in spirit feel a need to mourn (v. 4)? How will those who mourn be comforted?
(What – about yourself or about the world at present - causes you to mourn?)
For Discussion:
“Some people make the glib claim that they live by the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. One wonders if they have ever read it. More common is the opposite reaction...that it is a beautiful ideal but hopelessly impractical...being unattainable...” (John Stott) What do you think? What is your reaction?
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