This is the first of a series of studies we will be doing on the Sermon on the Mount. Join us each month as we continue this study into the words of Jesus.
Matthew 5:1-12
1. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2. Then He opened His mouth and taught 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 meek, For they shall inherit the earth
6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called the sons of God.
10. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
History of the Gospel of Matthew
Author: Matthew the Tax Collector, identified as Levi in the other Gospels.
Audience: First century Jewish community.
Objective: To present Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah.
As we look at these verses from verse three until verse twelve, we can see the life of a believer. We begin as a believer understanding how poor in spirit we are, and we cry out to God in mourning over our sin. He forgives us our sins and sends us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then begins to change us. He makes us meek where we were formerly temperamental. He makes us hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God where we only wanted to fulfill the desires of our flesh. He shows us how to be merciful when mercy is against our nature. He causes us to read and study the Word of God so we can become pure in heart; he also helps us to understand the Word of God because the things of the Spirit are foolishness to the natural man. He helps us to make peace with our neighbors, those inside and outside the household of faith. And finally, it is only by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can withstand persecution. Then verse twelve shows us that our reward for enduring those persecutions will be great in heaven.
These verses take us from the moment of our conversion through the end of our lives and I had never seen it before. That is why I love this book. It truly is alive and reveals itself to us more and more every time we open its pages.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Music: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson and John Wyeth (Public Domain.) Arranged and performed by Ginger Manning. Recorded and mastered by Gordon Manning.