Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark opened the first Sunday of 2022 by stepping back into the Harmony of the Gospels series, picking up where the Christmas and boyhood-of-Jesus messages had left off. The subject was the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, the opening of the Sermon on the Mount. He worked through all eight blessings, reading them as a declaration of kingdom values that stand in direct contrast to the values of the...

Read together

1. John 14:27 opening verse read to lead into worship, Jesus promising peace and saying do not be afraid
2. John 14:19 short verse read between hymns: because I live, you also will live
3. John 11 referenced as Jesus saying he is the resurrection and the life, those who believe will live even though they die
4. John 15:1-17 passage to be covered at Monday night Bible study, the vine and the branches
5. Matthew 5:3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, first beatitude
6. Matthew 5:4 blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted, second beatitude
7. Matthew 5:5 blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth, third beatitude
8. Matthew 5:6 blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied, fourth beatitude
9. Matthew 5:7 blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy, fifth beatitude
10. Matthew 5:8 blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God, sixth beatitude
11. Matthew 5:9 blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God, seventh beatitude
12. Matthew 5:10 blessed are those persecuted for righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, eighth beatitude
13. Matthew 5:11-12 blessed are you when people insult and persecute you and falsely say evil things because of Jesus, rejoice for your reward in heaven is great
14. Matthew 6:33 benediction and thesis of the sermon on the mount, seek first God's kingdom and righteousness and all these things will be given to you

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the Beatitudes as 'kingdom values' that are different from the values of any nation or people on earth. Which of the eight beatitudes feels most out of step with the culture around you right now, and why?
2. The pastor said that recognizing we are 'poor in spirit' means acknowledging our own spiritual powerlessness and bankruptcy apart from Christ. What does that kind of acknowledgment actually look like in daily life, and is it something that comes naturally to you?
3. On the beatitude about mourning, the pastor said it seems like a contradiction that mourners are called blessed, yet he also said there is comfort in knowing the grief will subside. How have you seen that comfort show up, either in your own life or in the life of someone you know?
4. The pastor drew a distinction between hungering and thirsting after righteousness and simply wanting to be right in an argument. How do you tell the difference between those two things in yourself, and what makes that distinction hard to hold onto?
5. The pastor said that peacemakers are often blasted and even killed for their efforts, and that the reward described in the Beatitudes is mostly a 'not yet.' How does the 'not yet' nature of these promises affect the way you try to live them out today?