The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes from my NASB:
"Matthew 5
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 'Blessed are the gentile, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 'Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 'Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 'Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'"
Last Sunday in church the focus was on verse 4 of the Beatitudes "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
From my sermon notes (Sermon by Bob Kraning):
"How do I receive the comfort of God?
1. I realize that God is with me. When I am hurting I often forget where God is - He seems distant and unavailable.
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
Three things to remember about pain: God is totally aware. God really cares. God is able to see you through.
"I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you." 2 Kings 20:5b
2. I release the hurt. I must stop focusing on what's lost and start focusing on what's left.
"Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19
3. I rely on God's resources.
Three of God's resources:
God's Word.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
God's people.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God's Holy Spirit.
"I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10b"
Since this sermon I have been thinking about how much I miss my grandparents, and about how guilty I feel that I didn't mourn as much as I feel like I should have mourned for them. My grandparents on my mother's side died when I was still in grade school. They used to take care of me when my father was in law school and my mother was working. I never really was able to show them how much I really appreciated them while they were alive. When I look back on all of my memories with them I had many good times, but I wish that I treated them better. I just see how much of a brat I was and how much they loved and spoiled me. My grandparents on my father's side died in the last decade. I was never really close to my grandfather, but I talked to my grandmother a lot. I really appreciated her and I was able to fly out to Missouri to see her a few years before she died, but I also feel like I never got the chance to really show her how much I appreciated her. I think I've gotten better at showing the people that I love how much I appreciate them while they are still alive, but it seems that there's always room for improvement.
"Matthew 5
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 'Blessed are the gentile, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 'Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 'Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 'Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'"
Last Sunday in church the focus was on verse 4 of the Beatitudes "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
From my sermon notes (Sermon by Bob Kraning):
"How do I receive the comfort of God?
1. I realize that God is with me. When I am hurting I often forget where God is - He seems distant and unavailable.
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
Three things to remember about pain: God is totally aware. God really cares. God is able to see you through.
"I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you." 2 Kings 20:5b
2. I release the hurt. I must stop focusing on what's lost and start focusing on what's left.
"Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19
3. I rely on God's resources.
Three of God's resources:
God's Word.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
God's people.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God's Holy Spirit.
"I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10b"
Since this sermon I have been thinking about how much I miss my grandparents, and about how guilty I feel that I didn't mourn as much as I feel like I should have mourned for them. My grandparents on my mother's side died when I was still in grade school. They used to take care of me when my father was in law school and my mother was working. I never really was able to show them how much I really appreciated them while they were alive. When I look back on all of my memories with them I had many good times, but I wish that I treated them better. I just see how much of a brat I was and how much they loved and spoiled me. My grandparents on my father's side died in the last decade. I was never really close to my grandfather, but I talked to my grandmother a lot. I really appreciated her and I was able to fly out to Missouri to see her a few years before she died, but I also feel like I never got the chance to really show her how much I appreciated her. I think I've gotten better at showing the people that I love how much I appreciate them while they are still alive, but it seems that there's always room for improvement.