T H E B E A T I T U D E S— MATTHEW 5:3-12 —

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

— Matthew 1:1

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

— Matthew 4:17

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

— Matthew 4:23

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

— vv 1-12

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know

that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I

say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

— John 3:1-3

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the

power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of

our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

— Ephesians 2:1-3

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive

together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

— Ephesians 2:4-9

So then you are no longer strangers

and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and

members of the household of God.

— Ephesians 2:19

He has delivered us from the domain

of darkness and transferred us to the

kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we

have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

— Colossians 3:13-14

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

— vs 3

““Our imaginary goodness is more difficult to conquer than our actual sin. Man can sooner be cured of his sicknesses than be made to

forego his boasts of health. Human weakness is a small obstacle to salvation compared with human strength; there lies the work and the difficulty. Hence, it is a sign of grace to know one’s need of grace. He

who knows and feels that he is in darkness has some light in his soul.”

— Charles Spurgeon

“Right at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contradicted all human judgments and all nationalistic expectations

of the kingdom of God. The kingdom is given to the poor, not the rich; the feeble, not the mighty; to little children humble enough to accept

it, not to soldiers who boast that they can obtain it by their own prowess. In our Lord’s own day it was not the Pharisees who entered

the kingdom, who thought they were rich, so rich in merit that they thanked God for their attainments; nor the Zealots who dreamed of

establishing the kingdom by blood and sword; but publicans and prostitutes, the rejects of human society, who knew they were so

poor they could offer nothing and achieve nothing. All they could do was to cry to God for mercy; and he heard their cry.”

— John Stott

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

— vs 4

“The Christian is to be the truest realist. He reasons that death is there, and must be faced. God is there, and will be known by

all as Savior or Judge. Sin is there, and it is unspeakably ugly and black in the light of God’s purity. Eternity is there, and every living

human being is rushing toward it. God’s revelation is there, and the alternatives it presents will come to pass: life or death, pardon or

condemnation, heaven or hell. These are the realities which will not go away. The man who lives in the light of them, and rightly assesses

himself and his world in the light of them, cannot but mourn.”

— D.A. Carson

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

— vs 5

“The man who is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well

as they do and treat him as well as they do.”

— Martin Lloyd-Jones

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

— vs 6

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

— vs 7

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

— vs 8

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

— vs 9

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

— vv 10-12

If you’re not a Christian…

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt

before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

— Matthew 8:1-3

If you are a Christian…

As a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, where do you sense that the King wants to plant

His flag of kingship deeper in your heart?