Matthew 5:1-12 The Eight Beatitudes: The Distinctiveness of God's Kingdom.

	Jesus declares the eight founding principles or beatitudes of God's kingdom.
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."	Moral Crisis Often overwhelmed by personal problems.	"Poor in spirit" describes the result of going through a personal moral crisis in which he realizes he has horribly failed.
Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."	Repentant Sees beyond consequences of his wrongdoing into the real offenses done to others.	"Mourn" describes a person who becomes aware of his personal offense to God and the pain that he has brought to others by his sinful behavior.
Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."	New Life! A genuine recognition of past failures opens his heart to God's ways for his life.	"Gentle" describes a person's humbled spirit which is finally willing to live by God’s principles of life.
Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."	Holy Standard He looks beyond himself for new standards of conduct and embraces God’s strength to obtain what he so desperately desires.	"Hunger and thirst for righteousness" describes a man's relentless pursuit of God's righteous standards which he can only gain from God.
Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."	Love Seized by his own unworthiness, he reaches out to others with compassion.	"Merciful" is a tender compassion for those in the wrong around them. Because he too has been forgiven, he cares for the special needs of those around him.
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."	Other Motivated Refusing to focus on himself, he sincerely opens his heart to what God and others desire.	"Pure in heart" speaks not of a person's old heart but his new heart and motivation. God has given the ability to seek the welfare of others above the desires for oneself.
Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."	Reconciler Seeking God's best in others opens himself up to bring God’s peace into the lives of others.	"Peacemakers" describes those who are no longer protecting their own self interests but seeking to implement God's principles of truth and graiousness in the relationships around them.
Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.	Endurer Finding meaning in life not in pleasant treatment but in obedience to the King.	The "Persecuted" have clearly made the important decisions about the world to come. They have chosen to value what the King treasures rather than those things that man is attracted to by his eye and ear.

A. Know the Principles (Matthew 5:1-16)

Jesus first teaches us the eight principles of the Kingdom of God better known as the Beatitudes. Each principle is a key to living a godly life. Each brings a blessing from God. They are focused positively on what we should be like rather than on what we should not do. Although they are in perfect agreement with the Ten Commandments, they are different. They do not merely keep us from evil but lead us to truth. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the people of God can have the love and holiness of God dominate their lives.

How well do you know these 8 beatitudes? Can you explain them?
What hard decisions have you made in your life to live faithfully by them?

Other Matthew articles:

Matthew 1:22-23 Bridge of Life; Immanuel

Matthew 5-7 Sermon on Mount: Introduction, Outline, Bible Study

Matthew 5:1-12 The Eight Beatitudes

Matthew 5:22-44 Sermon on Mount: Six Test Cases of Love

Matthew 5:33-37 Sermon on Mount: Walking in Integrity

Matthew 6:21 Sermon on Mount: Detecting Heart Divisions

Matthew 15:21-28 Staying Focused on God's Will

Matthew 17:24-27 Trusting God for money

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Biblical Foundations for Freedom

The Eight Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus declares the eight founding principles or beatitudes of God's kingdom.

Matthew 5:3

Moral Crisis

Often overwhelmed by personal problems.

Matthew 5:4

Repentant

Sees beyond consequences of his wrongdoing into the real offenses done to others.

Matthew 5:5

New Life!

A genuine recognition of past failures opens his heart to God's ways for his life.

Matthew 5:6

Holy Standard

He looks beyond himself for new standards of conduct and embraces God’s strength to obtain what he so desperately desires.

Matthew 5:7

Love

Seized by his own unworthiness, he reaches out to others with compassion.

Matthew 5:8

Other Motivated

Refusing to focus on himself, he sincerely opens his heart to what God and others desire.

Matthew 5:9

Reconciler

Seeking God's best in others opens himself up to bring God’s peace into the lives of others.

Matthew 5:10-12

Endurer

Finding meaning in life not in pleasant treatment but in obedience to the King.

A. Know the Principles (Matthew 5:1-16)

Other Matthew articles: