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Welcome to the final and 10th week of my series on The Beatitudes.
The Sermon on the Mount teachings are a demonstration of what we should be living as Christ followers. Jesus set the tone early on in His ministry regarding what He was about and what it meant to be His disciple and have a Kingdom mindset. These teachings are the foundation for what Jesus modeled and would be doing for the next three years of His earthly ministry, and what He longs for us His followers to do as well.
The Beatitudes are the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached for the here and now and also for the Kingdom to come. I look forward to diving in deeper to each one of the 8 Beatitudes in the weeks to come.
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Are you more like Jesus today than you were a month, two months, or even a year ago?
Are you more like Jesus today than you were yesterday?
I pray we would all say YES! Yet, there are some days when I wonder if Jesus would say I was becoming more like Him. However, I then remember, He isn’t after my perfection, He’s after my heart, and attitude.
For the last 9-weeks, I’ve been writing on The Beatitudes found at the beginning of Matthew 5 which are foundational for understanding how to live life in the Kingdom of God. Each of the 8 beatitudes are qualities disciples (followers) of Jesus should possess. They are essential ways of thinking which help us to be more Christlike.
Jesus made it his ministry to preach the coming of the kingdom, teach the way of the kingdom, and demonstrate the purpose and power of the kingdom by healing the sick. Preaching, teaching, and healing. –John Piper[1]
My mother started attending church faithfully when I was 5 years old and I remember accepting Jesus when I was 8. While I won’t divulge my exact age, let me just say that I have spent many decades in church. In all these years, I don’t ever remember a pastor or a sermon on the Beatitudes. Now, I am not saying that there wasn’t one, I’m just saying I don’t remember one, and if there was one, it definitely wasn’t a series. When I took on this challenge of researching and going deeper into this passage of Scripture, it was so I could learn more and understand the importance of what Jesus was saying during the beginning of His earthly ministry during while preaching the sermon on the mount.
The Beatitudes are the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached for the here and now and also for the Kingdom to come. [2]
I have enjoyed spending the last 9-weeks digging deeper in to the 8 Beatitudes. I have learned a lot and been challenged in many areas of my life and spiritual walk, and I pray you have too.
Matthew 5:1-12
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
As I contemplate all I have learned, I ask that you to join me as I highlight the main takeaways from the last 9-weeks. If you want to read more on a specific post, then click on the picture under each Beatitude and it will take you straight there. 🙂
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
Being poor in spirit is recognizing and acknowledging that we are sinners. It’s where we set aside our pride and self-righteous attitudes and empty ourselves before a Holy and just God. It’s where we call out to a God full of mercy and grace.
We empty ourselves; our heart and our mind of all the world values or tells us is valuable and we look to God to find our value and worth in Him and with Him. Being poor in spirit is about recognizing and placing value on God and His Kingdom and not on earthly possessions.
Blessed are those who mourn:
On a deeper level, Jesus was not just talking about our mourning over losing someone close to us either through death or a broken relationship. Jesus was also talking about us mourning over our own sinful nature.
Take a minute to contemplate that …. Do we mourn over our own sin?
Blessed are the meek:
When we walk in Biblical meekness we are saying: “Jesus take the wheel” of my life. I trust You to order my steps to go where you need me to go. Biblical meekness is about letting go of the “I want it my way” mentality and being obedient to God whether He says stop, no, or go.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst:
We need to hunger and thirst for the only One who can truly make a difference in our lives. Many hunger and thirst for the wrong things, the perfect job, house, family, church. Truer yet, is the fact that there are many in America have no idea of what it means to have a sustained physical hunger or thirst for nutritional sustenance.
Blessed are the merciful:
There were times when Jesus was upset by the injustice occurring around Him, like when He called the Pharisees a brood of vipers (Matt 12:34), or He overturned the tables in the temple courtyard (John 2:15). However, the majority of the time Jesus was merciful and compassionate toward the sinner. He did not judge them. He didn’t overlook their sin. He spoke truth in love and extended the Fathers heart to those in need.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
Scripture is clear. Jesus is not concerned with our outward appearance as much as we are. Nope, He is concerned with the condition of our heart and our heart attitude.
Pure in heart does not mean pure intentions. It does not mean looking like we have it all together. In the same way that “poor in spirit” emphasized our spiritual poverty, Jesus puts the emphasis here on us being pure in heart. He wants us to have a heart that is spiritual pure. Not a perfect heart, but a heart that longs for His touch. A heart that is not ashamed to call out to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.
Jesus was addressing head on an issue that was prevalent in His day, as it is in ours. He was telling the people that having a pure heart is about the inside not the outside. It was not about looking spiritual, doing the right rituals, or saying the right prayers. It is more about the truth inside our hearts and allowing the two to line up.
Blessed are peacemakers:
Peace according to the Kingdom of God and peace according to our worldly standards are two very different things. In the natural, we think peace means the absence of conflict. However, it is much more than that.
In this beatitude, Jesus is telling us, that as God’s children, peace is to be a part of our DNA. It is the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding. It is the peace we have when we rest in the confidence assurance that God has got us, even in the midst of life’s storms.
Blessed are the persecuted:
As He spoke, Jesus was giving them a glimpse of what was to come, not just for himself, but for them as well. Before, Jesus death, they may not have understood the fullness of His words, but as they watched the events leading up and past His crucifixion, I am sure there was no doubt in their minds exactly what it meant to be persecuted for living a right and holy life unto God.
God loves us just the way we are, but at the same time, He doesn’t want us to stay the same. He wants us to change more and more with each passing day to become more like His son Jesus. Jesus taught us how to be more like Him during His sermon on the mount and with these beatitudes. So again, I ask:
Let’s make a purpose to be more like Jesus today than we were yesterday. Will you join me?
PS: John Piper has an 8-week sermon series that is so rich and full of profound, thought-provoking and challenge statements on this passage of scripture. I highly encourage you to check them out, if you want to dive deeper yourself.
[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-beatitudes-and-the-gospel-of-the-kingdom
[2] http://debbiekitterman.com/blessed-8-ways-to-sunday-the-beatitudes-series-tune-in-thursday-56/
Last weeks Top Viewed Post was: Trust Me God Whispered by Susan Mead.
If you haven’t had a chance to read it, I encourage you to do so. Susan shares how God came through big time for her as she stepped out in faith and obedience to Him.
Also, Susan has a weekly linkup on Friday called: Dance With Jesus. If you are looking for a place to linkup on Friday’s please visit her tomorrow.
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Do you wonder if God still speaks today? Do you wonder if He would ever speak to you personally? Do you long to hear the voice of God in your life?
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If you answered YES to any of those questions, then I have exactly what you need. I now have an online e-course designed to equip you in understanding that God still speaks today, and He longs to speak directly to you, through His word, and others. He longs to encourage you, strengthen you and comfort you. The training on this site, is fully based on Scripture, and taken from my training manual Releasing God’s heart through Hearing His Voice.
God is speaking, Can you Hear Him?
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Balancing the Warrior & the Princess We’re Called to Be
Trusting God When it Seems Illogical
Will You Sit with Me? (Jesus is Calling.)
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What a wonderful and worthy goal – to live your life more like Jesus. It’s what we all should strive for every day with every action. Thank you for the reminder!
You are most welcome Laurie and yes I couldn’t agree more, it is a worthy goal to be sure 🙂
Wonderful series! The Beatitudes will turn our thinking and expectations upside down for sure. Grateful to be reminded to be more like Christ with each passing day. Blessings!
Thanks Joanne! It has been fun to do this series, now I have to figure out what’s next, but I have learned so much. I do agree, our thinking and expectations will be turned upside down, inside out for a while 🙂
This has been such a great series, and so timely for me as I continue to share them with my Sunday School people!
Oh Michele – that is wonderful. I am so glad you are able to share them with your Sunday School and that it came right on time.
Fantastic series! I know I have heard a pastor preach on the Beatitudes but I don’t recall anything from it. How sad is that!
Thanks Danielle 🙂 I think it is normal for the most part to not remember past sermons or teachings, unless something made a powerful impact on us. I find that when there are sermons/teachings with stories, illustrations, or visual reinforcements, it helps me to remember them better 🙂
Praising God He wants my heart, not my perfection!
Me too Debbie! Me too.
I’m so glad you recapped. Perfect way to end the series. laurensparks.net
Thanks Lauren! It seemed the right thing to do, I wasn’t ready to be done just yet 🙂 LOL and I needed the reminder and recap too.
What conviction right away with your question! I would like to say I’m more like Jesus every day, but that is something to definitely pray about and seek conviction about!
Emily, I was hit by the question myself.. definitely meant to make us all take a closer look. Blessings to you as you pray and seek God.
I pray for this, too, Debbie:
“God loves us just the way we are, but at the same time, He doesn’t want us to stay the same. He wants us to change more and more with each passing day to become more like His son Jesus.”
Thanks for this series on the Beatitudes. I’ve really enjoyed it.
Lisa, you are so right – He does love us right where we are at and yet, we must not stay the same. I am so glad you have enjoyed the Beatitude series. 🙂 blessings
To answer that great question: Do I love and serve Jesus better now than before? can make me pause: it seems the closer I get, by any grace and mercy, the more He shows me how far away I really am. But even just to hear that whisper makes me realize it’s all worth it and don’t stop now. Great perserving in this study, deb – you would enjoy my brother’s full length paintings of the beautitudes – a church in Alaska has them now but you can get prints: hyattmoore.com http://www.hyattmoore.com/egallery/2018/01/26/the-beatitudes/
Thanks Sue.. I think when presented with the question we all pause, and it is so powerful to recognize his grace and mercy as we walk out every day doing our best to be more like HIm…. also thank you for the link to your brothers paintings. The paintings are absolutely beautiful — your brother is very talented.
Thank you for hosting! My offerings this week include Dad’s Day Delights, Chili Dog Pizza and my Tuscan Porterhouse Steak. Enjoy!
you are most welcome and reading your list of posts you linked u is making me hungry lol…. looking forward to trying the tuscan porterhouse steak recipe
Such a beautiful series. Thanks for all of the lessons. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
thank you so much Patrick. It was a great weekend celebrating a couple from our church and their wedding.
He has my heart & His perfection is what God Looks at us through, so Jesus in me, His Spirit is perfecting me until that day. Praise Him!
Yes attitude is where we need to grow, heart attitude in Him especially.
Great series Debbie!
Jennifer
Thank you, Jennifer! Yep, great point – its in our attitudes that we need to grow. blessings an thanks for your thoughts.
I appreciate your work in sharing this series with us!
thank you Elizabeth 🙂
I love the recap. Thank you for doing this series. I ask myself the question each year, “am I more like Jesus than a year ago.” Am I closer? Now asking it on a daily basis might be a little scary. I think I will challenge myself to ask that question each day. I might have failed for today.
Thanks Maree! I have enjoyed writing this series very much and I am glad others have as well. Hey, there will be days where we may feel like we failed to be like Jesus, but thank goodness for his new mercies – every day! Blessings to you.
I love the Beatitudes. I pray I am more like Jesus each day. Thank you for sharing at #TellHisStory
you are most welcome Mary. I pray I am more like Jesus each day too 🙂