August 24, 2019
1. Introduction.
Last week (study one) we looked at the first 3 beatitudes.
a. “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs”. Matthew 5:3.
b. “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4.
c. “God blesses those who are humble for they shall inherit the whole earth.” Matt. 5:5.
Discuss the following comment of John’s from his message Sunday:
The first three beatitudes are necessary for a person to be ‘poor’, ‘morn’, ‘meek’ before they can be saved.
Do you agree or not and why?
2. Beatitude number four:
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.”
a. Satisfaction.
Discuss John’s following words:
As human beings we all hunger for different things, things we long to do, things we like to possess, things that we think will satisfy us. The problem with the world is that it hungers and thirsts for the wrong things. People look to satisfy their longings and desires in the wrong places, in money, achievement, recognition, pleasure, relationships.
What did Jesus say as to what we need to be concerned with and where we need to focus our efforts which will truly satisfy? John 6:27, 35.
b. Righteousness.
What is ‘righteousness?’ What does it mean to be righteous and how do we obtain it?
Do humans consider themselves to naturally have a reasonable level of righteousness? If your answer is ‘yes’ why do you think this is so as most would readily agree they are ‘far from perfect?’
What did Isaiah and Paul tell us about mankind’s righteousness? Romans 3:23, 10, Isaiah 64:6. And even those who are very ‘religious’? Philippians 3:4-9.
c. Two Adam’s.
Read Romans 5:12-19 and answer the following regarding ‘righteousness’:
• What happened to all people as a result of being a descendant of the first Adam?
• What happens to those who receive the second Adam, Jesus Christ?
d. The change Jesus Christ brings.
According to Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:17 what changed in those who received Christ?
• What has gone?
• What has come?
• Why is this so? Colossians 2:11-14. What happened to our sinful nature?
• What can we say as a result? Galatians 2:20.
e. Living a Righteous Life.
• What assurances does Paul give us regarding sin’s power over us? Romans 6:6-10.
• Therefore what are the two ways we should we view ourselves? Romans 6:11. The original language translated in the following words depending on the version ‘Consider’ (NLT) or ‘Reckon’ (KJV), ‘Count’ (NIV) all mean to ’consider’, ‘reckon’, ‘count’ as FACT that ‘we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’.
f. Why then do we still sin?
Consider and discuss John’s words:
Although our actual natures are the nature of Christ, our bodies have not yet been redeemed.
We are still living in sinful bodies and the sinful force the Bible calls ‘the flesh’ which belongs in this body and operates through this body, through our eyes – the things we look at, through our hands – the things we do, through our feet – where we go, through our mind – our brain and brain patterns which are habituated to wrong thoughts of lust, habits, addictions and so on and so forth. It dwells in the body and uses the body of flesh to express itself. It is a sinful force working in our unredeemed body. It is these that ‘pull’ us in wrong directions.
How can this single force ‘the flesh’ still pull us when our sinful natures have been ‘crucified with Christ’ and are dead?(Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6) The answer is we are us and have a soul (body/mind/spirit)and we can choose to follow the impulses of our new nature or choose to follow the temptations of this sinful force in our body of flesh.
Read Romans 6:10-14.
g. The battle ground is with our minds.
“What will we do, either we feed our flesh or nourish our spirit?”
h. Our sure hope of glory.
What will happen and what will we receive when Jesus returns?
• 1 John 3:2-3.
• 1 Corinthians 15:42-53.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
• Revelation 21:1-7
“So encourage each other with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:18.