Bible Study 10 10 2014

The Power of Jesus                                   Bible Study  October 10, 2014

In the past two months, we have been discussing how Jesus presented the life we should seek to live in the Kingdom of God.  He began in Matthew 5:17, “Repent…” and finished His Sermon on the Mount in 7:12 with the sum of the law- The Golden Rule.  He then went on to live what he taught, was hated by those in control of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and those same people killed Him as he threatened their comfortable life.

The 7^th chapter finished with stating how the people listening to Jesus were “amazed’ with His teachings as He taught with ‘authority’.  Have you ever been amazed with a professor and how that person taught with great authority in his field of learning?  We must remember that Jesus taught with first knowledge of how and why the world was created.  Jesus was there in the beginning when God created the world.  Jesus is, in part, God, an element of the Trinity God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  Three in One and at the same time, each One separate in Three.  This Trinity is a mystery that full understanding will come in our Resurrection.

Today we move into Chapter 8 and

see the Power of Jesus

Matthew 8: 5-17      The Faith of the Centurion        Lk 7:1-10

5  When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

6  "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

7  Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

8  The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

11  I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Commentary-
Verse 5&6-  Centurions were military officers in charge of about 100 men.  This was not small position.  He was a man of prestige and power. He represented the backbone, the very foundation of Roman Power.  Yet, this man comes to Jesus for help and addresses Jesus as ‘Lord’.  Capernaum was a town with an important Roman garrison.  The soldiers were likely gentile.  But, somehow, this leader knew the power of Jesus over his paralyzed man.  Too, the Centurion shows compassion for his servant.  It would have been easy to release the servant and find another servant.  So here is an important, unclean, Gentile, soldier showing compassion and respect for a servant,  and respect to the greatest Servant of all.

Verse 7  By saying He will go heal the Centurions son, Jesus shows disregard for the old Law of dealing with Gentiles.  No Jewish priest would have helped the Centurion because of restriction in the OT Law dealing with unclean Gentiles.

Verse 8/9  The  respectful and humble Centurion was clearly aware of the OT Law when he commented he was unworthy.  But, just look at his faith in Jesus!  He tells Jesus to just speak and the servant would be healed!!! 
Here is a man of great authority as presented in verse 9, a man that knows of the power of the spoken word.  No doubt, this Centurion understood the power of Jesus and the spoken word. 

We too must remember the power of speaking as seen in Genesis 1.   “And God said…”

Verse 10  Look at Jesus’ expressed astonishment and amazement as this is the same word used in our study last week in verse 7:28.  Then we have a major theme of Matthew in the comment by Jesus, “I tell you the truth.”  This is recorded 30 times in Matthew NIV.  Remember these words ‘amaze’ and ‘astonish’ we find in the NT, are very special.  It is words that mean to ‘see or hear the totally unexpected.  This is the only time we see the word used to describe Jesus’ reaction to someone he meets.

Remember too, the words “I tell you the truth’, when we read these words, we need to pay attention to what Jesus is about to say!

Verses 11&12  This is a reference to The Messianic Banquet prophesied in the Old Testament, Isaiah 15:6-9.  This is a way that the writer is connecting what the reader of Jesus’ day knew about the prophecy of the Old Testament.   The Messianic banquet was a union of the Jewish patriarchs of old (leaders of old) with the people of Israel present day, and the Gentiles from all corners of the earth.  The Jews thought they would be the only ones in attendance at this banquet.  Jesus with these two verses is expanding the attendance to the banquet.

This was a great shock to the Jews.  Admittance would be by faith, not just Jewish descendents of Abraham, the father of all Jews.

Verse 13.  Here we see the power of Jesus across distance.  Jesus heals the servant immediately even though the man is not in Jesus’ presence.  Again, this would be an amazing incident for the people of Jesus’ day.  But, we understand Jesus.

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I go to John 1: 1-3,14.  The Gospel of John 1 is so very powerful and shows us the power of Jesus in its greatest light!

The Gospel of John, Chapter 1
The Word Became Flesh

1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

2 He was with God in the beginning. 

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The write John, a disciple of Jesus, had a unique position to know Jesus.  In this John shares with us great and important information about Jesus.

What, so very important an amazing do you read in verse 3 and verse 14. 

In understanding verse 3 and 14, Jesus was from the beginning and part of the creative force in the universe.  We should not be amazed at His ability to heal from a distance.

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You must understand here- The ‘Word’ referenced in verse 1, is identified to be Jesus in verse 14!
So, if Jesus created with His word, so to he could heal with His word. 

Thanks be to God

Bible Study 2014 10 10

The World is Upside Down                   Bible Study  October 10, 2014
     We need the teachings of Jesus to Turn Our Thinking Right-Side Up

1-               Last week we finished with “Do not worry…” and the words “Seek First the Kingdom…” Matthew 6:35.  These are powerful directive words from Jesus.  Jesus never told us anything that was not good for us. 

2-                Tonight, we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  Just as everything we experience has a beginning and an end, so too the Sermon on the Mount.   This section of the Bible really begins with Matthew 5:17 and ends with Matthew 7 29.

3-               Out of this section of Matthew we must remember, Jesus began this teaching of how to live in the Kingdom with the word Repent, then gives us behaviors of living in the Kingdom, and sums up these behaviors in Chapter 7:12, the Golden Rule.

4-               In Ch 7, verse 28 we read the people were “amazed”.  Here in this lesson, we will learn of this verb “amazed” and what it means.

The Golden Rule:

Matthew

Ch 7: 12   So (meaning- therefore)  in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

1-              Jesus gave many behaviors for us to seek to accomplish in His first sermon to the people.  Then He gives the summary, a summary to catch all proper behaviors in the Kingdom.  In one sentence Jesus covers the entirety, the essence, the completeness of living in the Kingdom.

2-              This is called an ‘inclusio’ phrase, a bookend, a summary.  The Other bookend, is Matthew 5:17- “Repent…”

3-              The title "golden rule" traditionally comes from "the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-35), who, though not a Christian, was reputedly so impressed by the comprehensiveness of this maxim of Jesus . . . that he had it inscribed in gold on the wall of his chamber."  (Thomas Constable, Notes on Matthew)

4-              Jesus could have spoke for days giving hundreds of instructions on how to behave in the Kingdom.  In one sentence, He sums it up behavior in the Kingdom-, Perfectly, Completely, and totally Understandably.  This is the perfection we worship in the Jesus we know.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13  "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

1-             Life is composed of many decisions we have to make.  There is always two choices in every decision we make.

2-             Do we take the easy way or the correct way; the narrow road less traveled or the road beat down by the many travelers;  the ‘straight and narrow’ and sometimes difficult that leads to eternal life  or the road filled with people always seeking the easy, fun, and  dangerous life that leads to self-destruction.

3-             In taking the Way of the Kingdom, the straight and narrow, we have the Sermon on the Mount to guide us.

4-             Notice the word ‘gate’ is the defining word here.  It may be a small gate, but Jesus controls the gate, His words here define our journey to and through the gate, and Jesus in His perfection opens the gate for us and will know us because of our Journey seeking the Kingdom.

False Prophets

15  "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

16  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

21  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

23  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Who are the false prophets of today?  How do we recognize them?  One sure way is when they say that have the real answers to your problems.  In reality, we find answers to our problems in the Gospels.

1-             Just as Jesus was obedient to God’s will, Jesus tells us that entrance to Heaven is accomplished by living in God’s will. 

2-             Jesus talked the talk of God’s will,  Walked the walk of God’s will, Suffered, Died, and was Glorified all because He lived what He taught and walked..

3-             When we stand before Jesus at our earthly death, the last words we want to hear from Him is “I never knew you.  Away from me…”

The Reaction of the Crowd at the Sermon on the Mount

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching  ,
29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

1-             The word “amazed”, the crowd was amazed.  In the Greek of Jesus’ day this had a strong sense.  What Jesus was saying was unheard of before Jesus came.  It was totally new.

2-             Not only were His words amazing, but so too His authority

3-             Jesus changed the world with His words and life, God verified His words and life by raising Him from the dead.  The people responded with believing. 

4-             How can we do any less than Jesus.  We must seek Him in Seeking the Kingdom by living in the ways He instructed..

Bible Study September 26, 2014

The World is Upside Down                                        Bible Study September 26, 2014
     We need the teachings of Jesus to Turn Our Thinking Right-Side Up

Living in God’s Kingdom
Remember: from last week, in Matthew,
1-  A central message of Jesus and His ministry is Matthew 4:17
     “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

2-  That ‘Kingdom’ for Matthew, is where God’s will prevails.  It is not the future, but now, where we live in His will.
3-  The Beatitudes in Chapter 5 3-10, gives us how we are to behave in the Kingdom, to live in God’s will. 
The we come to more instruction on God’s will for our life.  We will discuss some of those instructions of Jesus and how He applies it to our living our life. 

These instructions in the Sermon on the Mount are an expansion of the Old Testament (OT) Law, a further explanation of the Law, a fulfillment of the OT Law.

Matthew 5

The Fulfillment of the Law

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Discussion:

1-  “The Law of the Prophets” is the law that comes from the Old Testament.  This includes the 10 Commandments and its interpretation found in Exodus and Leviticus.
2-  The Law is here to stay, but Jesus is here to further explain the Law of the Prophets.  The Law was revealed at a time when the Hebrews could understand it.  It gave them a guide on their behavior.  It was time to expand the law by further defining it in God’s will.  It was time to change the way people think.  The thought at the time was “I am saved by living the letter of the Law.”  With Jesus’ expansion of the law, people (us, you and I) included) become more responsible for our salvation by believing and seeking God’s Kingdom for our lives..  It is not enough to live the law outwardly, now the Law must be taken into your heart just as Jesus taught and lived.  Salvation still comes from God’s grace
3-  “I tell you the truth…”  “5:18 The phrase "truly I say to you" (NASB) or "I tell you the truth" (NIV) indicates that what follows is extremely important. This is the first occurrence in Matthew of this phrase, which appears 30 times in this Gospel, 13 times in Mark, six times in Luke, and 25 times in John. It always conveys His personal authority…”.  It is like saying, “Listen good, this is important to know…”  In Matthew, there are about 29 other times in the NIV where Jesus says, “I tell you…”.
4-  “To fulfill” the Law in verse 17, this includes the interpretation that Jesus is meaning that He has come to more fully explain and expand the Law of the OT.

Murder

5:25,26pp -- Lk 12:58,59

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,  (meaning, to be angry with you)
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Discussion:

1.     This is not an easy saying.  Sometimes we like to be mad at people for what they have done to us.

2.   Jesus never gave instructions that were not good for us, how is being on good terms with others, how is forgiving others, and reconciling with others good for us?

3.   Notice the reoccurrence of “I tell you” and “I tell you the truth”.

4.   In this we see another of Jesus’ sayings, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago…”.  Jesus uses this phrase 19 times in Matthew, Luke, and John.  It is a teaching tool by Jesus.  He is taking what the people know and introducing greater meaning to what they know.  In like manner, it should alert us to important living skills to be used in Seeking God’s Kingdom for our lives.

5.   “Raca” –you  stupid head, you idiot, you imbecile.

6.   Did Jesus ever get angry?- Matthew 23, Jesus at the Temple.  Consider this:

21:12-16pp -- Mk 11:15-18; Lk 19:45-47
12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

7-  . It is possible for humans to be angry and not sin (Eph. 4:26).

Love for Enemies
Matthew 5:

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Discussion:

1.      Jesus clearly lived what He taught.  Look at Luke 23: ‘34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.’  As Jesus was being nailed to the cross, hanging on the cross, His thoughts are thoughts on forgiving others and loving others.

2.      .When we love others, especially our enemies, can we expect them to immediately love us back or even accept our forgiveness?

 Matthew 6

Giving to the Needy

1  "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2  "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Discussion

1.      People who brag about how good they are at something become hard to be around, to be friends with, to love. 

2.      In Jesus’ time, and for some today, when some people gave to the “church” (the Temple, a synagogue, etc) they would have people blowing horns to honor the person giving.  Some places had a place to receive money that made a loud noise as you put your coins into it.

3.      When we do something ‘good’ for others so that, for the purpose that others may see it, when they see it, we have our reward.

4.      The best gift is a gift done that others do not know about it.

5.      But, it is ok to give a gift to someone so they know who it came from.  We just have to remember, their appreciation of us giving them the gift is our reward.

6.      Notice that Jesus does not tell us what our reward will be.  But, to receive the reward, it must be done according to God’s will, belief in Jesus, and in our Seeking the Kingdom (God’s will) for our lives.

Prayer

6:9-13pp -- Lk 11:2-4

5  "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
    " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10       your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Discussion:

1.      Praying to be seen praying is just like giving to the needy to be seen giving to the needy, we have our reward for the prayer.  Expect nothing else.

2.      Do not think public prayer goes without answer.  When called upon, pray in public, the key here is doing it “… to be seen by men.”

3.      Notice the phrase by Jesus continues to be on His lips.  Jesus speaks with authority, “I tell you the Truth.”  Truly, Jesus was, is, and still is, The Authority on God’s will for our lives.

A writing, speaking, teaching technique used in the Bible.
Parallelism -  This is where in a verse, a phrase is used and a second phrase just after it amplifies, makes greater meaning of the first phrase.  A current day example:  “Billy makes good grades, and he does so all the time, and his learning skills helps him do a better job on the project.”
In this example the first phrase is- Billy makes good grades, the amplifying phrase is and he does so all the time.  The amplifying phrase tells us more about Billy and his grades, thus it further defines the first phrase.

In verse 10 we have an example of parallelism

10       your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This parallelism is explaining that God’s Kingdom is where His will is Done. 
The first phrase of the parallelism is ‘your kingdom come’, the second amplifying phrase is “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Truly, as Jesus command us in Matthew 4:17,

       His Kingdom is at hand when we repent of our sinfulness.

Another good example of this is found in Psalm 23.

Something to think about:  It is through Jesus’ obedience to what He taught and God’s verification of Jesus’ teaching that we come to realize the truth of Jesus’ teaching and example of living.  God’s verification came through raising Jesus from His death on the cross.  Accept Jesus, receive your faith as a Gift of God, and you come to better understand the life and teachings of Jesus.

Thanks Be to God

Jesus’ implicit Claim of Deity (being God)

"Jesus implicitly claimed deity in at least twelve ways.
He claimed three divine rights:
 (1) to judge mankind,
(2) to forgive sins, and
(3) to grant eternal life.
He declared that
(4) his presence was God's presence as well as the presence of God's kingdom and that
(5) the attitude people took toward him would determine their eternal destiny. He
(6) identified his actions with God's actions,
(7) taught the truth on his own authority, and
          Example:  Matthew Ch 5,6,7 – Sermon on the Mount
(8) performed miracles on his own authority.
He (9) appeared to receive worship or obeisance.
He (10) assumed that his life was a pattern for others, a 'divinely authoritative form of life.'
He (11) applied to himself OT texts that describe God and
(12) in several parables indirectly identified himself with a father or king who represents God.

Daniel Doriani, "The Deity of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:3 (September 1994):339-40.

2014 09 19 Bible study lesson

The Sermon on the Mount
Important Notes on the Beatitudes
Matthew  5

Matthew 5 (New International Version)

5:3-12pp -- Lk 6:20-23

1Now when he saw the crowds,
    he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2  and he 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 will be comforted.
5  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Commentary

1.  Here we have the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry.  At the end of Chapter 4, He began with the most import theme of His ministry, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”; and now He begins to teach us what is expected of the believers of the Kingdom of Heaven and their expected reward in seeking the Will of God in their lives (righteousness).

2-  Verse 1 -  The meaning of disciples-  in Greek- ‘learner’.  As I prepare this Bible study, as we discuss this Bible study, we are learning about Jesus, and we are a disciple.  This was likely a large group of people and not just His immediate dedicated disciples.  Not all of them were yet chosen.

2- Verse 2 -  This is a teaching sermon, preaching is usually more focused on a topic.

3-  The meaning of the words ‘Blessed are’.  When we read this word in these verses, we can substitute and read- “Happy and Joyful in the Lord are “.  This is an expression the Jews would be familiar with from the Old Testament:  Psalms 1:1; 32:1-2; 34:8; 84:4-5 and about 60 other OT references (see third page for more examples).  Blessedness comes from God, a state of inner Joy in the person who seeks the will of God in their lives.  Jesus in here beginning to teach us God’s will by telling us our reward for understanding and seeking His will.

4-  Verse 3-  “Poor in Spirit”- People poor in spirit does not mean they are sad, but people who recognize:  a- their selfishness in their lives, b- the sin in their lives (our desires and behaviors against God’s will), and 3- depend on God for His mercy and grace on their lives.  Look at the reward for this- “The Kingdom!”  This begins with repenting, just as Jesus announced.  This is not a weakness, this repenting, it is our faith, our desire for a relationship with God.  An attitude of unworthiness and humility is necessary for the presence of the Kingdom.  We see “Kingdom” one more time in verse 10.  Verse 3 and 10 are like bookends.

5-  Verse 4  “those who mourn”   These are the people who are sorry and repentant for their sins.

6- Verse 5  meekness-  Not a 21^st Century, western world word.  Meekness in the Greek means- gentle in dealing with others, unpretentious, self-controlled (a gift of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23), free of malice, vengeance, and hate.  One can be meek but angry, angry at the right things.  Jesus became angry with the Temple leaders- Matthew 23, He also threw out the money changer in the Temple cheating the people.

7-  Verse 6-  In Matthew, he always uses the word Righteousness in terms of seeking and living in God’s will.  In doing so, we will be filled (with the Kingdom).

8-  Verse 7   “merciful”  being forgiving, compassionate towards others in all situation.  Do this and we receive mercy from God.

9-  Verse 8 “pure in heart” -  When we are devoted to the Will of God, then we are seeking pureness in our heart.

10  Verse 9-  “peacemakers”   Jesus was the Son of God, He sought with His teaching and behaviors to make peace with people around Him and between people.  In seeking to be at peace with people around us and seeking peace between our neighbors, we too can be a ‘son of God’.

11   Verse 10  People around the world hate Christians because Jesus sought peace through living in the Will of God and not in living in what individuals selfishly consider what they think is righteous.

In seeking the Kingdom, obedience to God’s will, living with “Thy will be done” in your heart, and understanding we will be persecuted because of this Jesus like behavior, we will feel God’s Kingdom and we too shall rise into that Kingdom upon our earthly death.

Thanks be to God.

How Jesus Taught

Jesus was a superb teacher. He took what was familiar to His audience and used it to define His ministry. In seeking to understand His words for the people of His day, we find greater meaning of His words for our lives today.·         

·        Psalm 1:1 NIV

[BOOK I] [Psalms 1-41] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

Read Psalm 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 32:1 NIV

[Of David. A "maskil."] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Read Psalm 32 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 32:2 NIV

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Read Psalm 32 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 33:12 NIV

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.

Read Psalm 33 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 34:8 NIV

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Read Psalm 34 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 40:4 NIV

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Read Psalm 40 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 41:1 NIV

[For the director of music. A psalm of David.] Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.

Read Psalm 41 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 84:5 NIV

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

Read Psalm 84 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

·        Psalm 84:12 NIV

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

An Activity

Read these Verses, twice

3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Then     What do you think is the meaning of:

Verse 3-   poor in spirit   __________________________________________________________

Verse 4-  those who morn  ________________________________________________________

Verse 5-  the meaning of ‘meek’  ___________________________________________________

Verse 6 – hunger and thirst for righteousness _________________________________________

Verse 7  merciful  ______________________________________________________________

Verse 8   pure in heart __________________________________________________________

Verse 9  -  peacemakers ______this one is easy _______________________________________

Verse 10  persecuted because of righteousness ________________________________________

What is righteousness ____________________________________________________________