Matthew 5:1 Beatitudes - For The Glory of Jesus

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Beatitudes

At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us the Beatitudes. This is how we are to live. Those who have put their trust in Jesus are to keep them.

This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.

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Matthew 5:1-20

1. “Rabbis normally sat while teaching.” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1128)

“Great crowds also form an important part of Jesus’ audience. They too will learn what genuine discipleship involves as they consider the possibility of commitment to Jesus. (Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew [Nashville: Broadman Press], 97)

2. Jesus began to teach them.

3. “In the Beatitudes and the pictures of the believer, Jesus described Christian character that flowed from within.” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 21)

“‘Blessed’ implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. This is what the Lord offers those who trust Him.” (Wiersbe, 21)

“In the Beatitudes, Jesus describes the character of true faith.” (MacArthur, 1129)

“Jesus teaches that the kingdom is a gracious gift to those who sense their own poverty of spirit.” (MacArthur, 1129)

4. “Mourning over sin means having the godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation without regret (2 Corinthians 7:10). The ‘comfort’ is the comfort of forgiveness and salvation (Isaiah 40:1-2).” (MacArthur, 1129)

Meek

5. “Meekness is not produced by self-effort but by Spirit effort. Only the Holy Spirit can produce meekness in the heart of a yielded Christian.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 30)

“The Beatitudes present goals which the child of God wants to realize in his own life, but he can’t do it on his own.” (McGee, 30)

6. “‘Hunger and thirst for righteousness’ explains Luke’s ‘hunger’ (Luke 6:21). For the poor, ‘righteousness’ would include having their basic needs for food met, but it goes on to include a desire to see God’s standards established and obeyed in every area of life.” (Blomberg, 99)

“God’s righteousness will fill those who seek it; i.e., it will satisfy their hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God.” (MacArthur, 1129)

7. “We experience God’s mercy when we trust Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7), and He gives us a clean heart (Acts 15:9) and peace within (Romans 5:1).” (Wiersbe, 21)

Blood of Jesus

8. “It is by the washing of regeneration that we are made clean. Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us for all sin (see 1 John 1:7).” (McGee, 30)

9. “We become peacemakers in a troubled world and channels for God’s mercy, purity, and peace.” (Wiersbe, 21)

10. “Hostility may well arise against Jesus’ followers, but even persecuted people are seen by Christ as fortunate. This persecution, however, must be the result of righteous living and not due to individual sin or tactlessness (cf. 1 Peter 3:14; 4:14-15).” (Blomberg, 100)

11. “The only persecution that is blessed is that which stems from allegiance to Jesus and living in conformity with his standards.” (Bloomberg, 101)

12. “There is no comparison here between those with a lesser reward and a greater reward. So the reward should be thought of as heaven itself and not some particular status in the life to come.” (Bloomberg, 101)

Salt and Light

13. “Salt both preserves food and enhances its flavor. Pure salt cannot lose effectiveness, but the salt that is common in the Dead Sea area is contaminated with gypsum and other minerals that may have a flat taste or be ineffective as a preservative.” (MacArthur, 1129)

14. “Christians are also the light of the world.” (McGee, 31)

15. “Being a light means giving out the Word of God in one way or another.” (McGee, 31)

16. “This verse says that you and I are to let our light so shine in this world that we may glorify our Father which is in heaven.” (McGee, 31)

“A godly life testifies convincingly to the saving power of God, and it glorifies Him. Cf. 1 Peter 2:12. (MacArthur, 1129)

Fulfill the Law

17. “It was the Pharisees who were destroying the law! By their traditions, they robbed the people of the Word of God; and by their hypocritical lives, they disobeyed the very law they claimed to protect.” (Wiersbe, 22)

Fulfil [KJV] “This speaks of fulfillment in the same sense that prophecy is fulfilled. Christ indicates that He fulfills the law in all aspects.” (MacArthur, 1130)

18. “Here Christ emphasized both the inspiration and the enduring authority of all Scripture. He specifically affirms the utter inerrancy and absolute authority of the OT as the Word of God—down to the least jot and tittle.” (MacArthur, 1130)

19. “You cannot break the commandments and get by with it. But you cannot keep them in your own strength. The only way you can keep them is to come to Jesus Christ for salvation, power, and strength.” (McGee, 32)

20. “On the one hand, Jesus was calling His disciples to a deeper, more radical holiness than that of the Pharisees.” (MacArthur, 1130)

“The only righteousness by which sinners may be justified is the perfect righteousness of God that He imputes to those who believe (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:5).” (MacArthur, 1130)

References

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew Nashville: Broadman Press
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Robertson, A. T., A Harmony of the Gospels. New York, HarperCollins Publishers
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004

Galilee Morality

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