Dake Bible Discussion Board ⇒ Beatitude truths

[Justaned]

And to be poor in spirit means we humbly realize we have nothing to offer God, nothing of righteousness, nothing of holiness and we must humbly come to God to receive those things which we need oh so badly.

That is really good Ed. Almost like we are spiritually bankrupt without humility..

Yes just as James 4:10 (NASB)
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
tells us.

[Justaned]

Matthew 5:4 (NKJV)
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

As I pointed out in in the beginning of this study, the Beatitudes are paradoxical, because what they promise for what they demand seems like a oxymoron in the eyes of the natural man. What could be more contradictory than the idea that the sad are happy, that the path to happiness is sadness, that the way to rejoicing is in mourning?

In the natural world we are trained to believe that pleasure bring happiness and that comes from things going our way. Money brings happiness, entertainment brings happiness, fame and praise bring happiness, self-expression brings happiness. Our view is often avoiding pain, trouble, disappointment, frustration, hardships, and other problems brings happiness.

But Jesus said, "Happy are the sad." He even went so far as to say, "Woe to you who laugh now; for you shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25)

The Meaning of Mourning
Let us first look a improper mourning, it is the sorrow of those who are frustrated in fulfilling evil plans and lusts, or who have misguided loyalties and affection. To those who mourn in that way the Lord offers no help or solace.
An example of this is David's son "Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her" (2 Sam. 13:2). Amnon's grief was caused by incestuous, unfulfilled lust.

Some carry legitimate sorrow to illegitimate extremes. When a person grieves so hard and so long over the loss of a loved one that he cannot function normally, his grief becomes sinful and destructive. Such depressing sorrow is usually related to guilt, essentially selfish, and, for a Christian, is a mark of unfaithfulness and lack of trust in God.

There is also proper mourning that is mourning to express sorrows and to cry over them opening an escape valve that keeps our feelings from festering and poisoning our emotions and our whole life. We can expect trial and tribulations. An Arab proverb says, "All sunshine makes a desert." The trouble-free life is likely to be a shallow life.
We are reminded of this in James 1:2-4 (NASB)
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The mourning about which Jesus is talking in the second beatitude, however, has nothing to do with the types just discussed, proper or improper.

Spiritual poverty leads to godly sorrow; the poor in spirit become those who mourn.

The condition of the second beatitude is mourning: blessed are those who mourn.

Thoughts? Comments?

[bibleman]

Just saw this on facebook and thought it might be interesting to you guys.

HERE ARE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE BEATITUDES / FLIPPED OVER INTO THE NEGATIVE (CURSITUDES)

Cursed are the proud in spirit, the ego-driven, self-sufficient ones.
Cursed are those who are cold, callous, insensitivity and uncaring.
Cursed are the stubborn and unforgiving.
Cursed are the apathetic.
Cursed are the judgmental and unmerciful.
Cursed are those with contaminated hearts.
Cursed are those who cause strife and discontentment.
Cursed are those the world accepts are one of their own...
Be depressed and exceedingly downcast for you have no reward for your life here below.

I like the BIBLE version much better for sure!

[Rocky]

Just saw this on facebook and thought it might be interesting to you guys.

HERE ARE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE BEATITUDES / FLIPPED OVER INTO THE NEGATIVE (CURSITUDES)

Cursed are the proud in spirit, the ego-driven, self-sufficient ones.
Cursed are those who are cold, callous, insensitivity and uncaring.
Cursed are the stubborn and unforgiving.
Cursed are the apathetic.
Cursed are the judgmental and unmerciful.
Cursed are those with contaminated hearts.
Cursed are those who cause strife and discontentment.
Cursed are those the world accepts are one of their own...
Be depressed and exceedingly downcast for you have no reward for your life here below.

I like the BIBLE version much better for sure!

That's good Leaon..

[Justaned]

We are looking at verse 4 and examined Mourning now let us move on to the promise of being comforted.
The pronoun autos (they) indicates that only those who mourn over sin will be comforted. The blessing of God's comfort is reserved exclusively for the contrite of heart. It is only those who mourn for sin who will have their tears wiped away by the loving hand of Jesus Christ.

While the comfort of Matthew 5:4 is talked about as being in the future it is not suggesting that if comes only when we die or the end of the age but rather uses the future because the blessing comes after the obedience; the comfort comes after the mourning. As we continually mourn over our sin, we shall be continually comforted—now, in this present life. God is not only the God of future comfort but of present comfort. "God our Father" already has "given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace" (2 Thess. 2:16).

There are hinderances to genuine mourning. Love of Sin - hanging onto a sin that really feeds our flesh. This can harden our hearts in many ways making it almost impossible to get free of it. However God is the God of the impossible.
Conceit or pride - I don't sin or I'm able to control this myself. I just have to do ...! To many preachers offer cookbook cures for sin and sin is conquered only one way through Jesus Christ and letting Him be Lord of your life.
Presumption - You want God's help but you don't want too much of it. You want enough to get to heaven but you don't want to lose out on all the fun. You want to do it your way. You presume you can manage God rather than allowing God to manage you.
Procrastination - The unGodly belief that you have time. You can take care of the sin in your life later right now you are all about living. But procrastination is foolish and dangerous, because we "do not know what [our] life will be like tomorrow [We] are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).

How do we know if we are mouring properly or not? I found this quote and it really ran my bell.

The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins. His first concern is for the harm his sin does to God's glory, not the harm its exposure might bring to his own reputation or welfare.

How many of us can truthfully say we ever think of how our actions and responses reflect on God? I know I always think of how it will reflect on me and my claim to be a Christian but I never think about the light it casts upon God.

We must mourn properly we need to ask ourselves if we are sensitive to sin. If we laugh at it, take it lightly, or enjoy it, we can he sure we are not mourning over it and are outside the sphere of God's blessing.

The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins he will also grieve for the sins of fellow believers and for the sins of the world. He will cry with the psalmist, "My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Thy law" (Ps. 119:136).

The godly mourners "who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:5-6).


That wraps up verse 4 unless there are comments or thoughts.

I'm not getting much feedback on this study. Should I continue or does it not interest anyone?

Let me know I can save myself a lot of time and energy if no one cares about this study.

[Rocky]

We are looking at verse 4 and examined Mourning now let us move on to the promise of being comforted.
The pronoun autos (they) indicates that only those who mourn over sin will be comforted. The blessing of God's comfort is reserved exclusively for the contrite of heart. It is only those who mourn for sin who will have their tears wiped away by the loving hand of Jesus Christ.

While the comfort of Matthew 5:4 is talked about as being in the future it is not suggesting that if comes only when we die or the end of the age but rather uses the future because the blessing comes after the obedience; the comfort comes after the mourning. As we continually mourn over our sin, we shall be continually comforted—now, in this present life. God is not only the God of future comfort but of present comfort. "God our Father" already has "given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace" (2 Thess. 2:16).

There are hinderances to genuine mourning. Love of Sin - hanging onto a sin that really feeds our flesh. This can harden our hearts in many ways making it almost impossible to get free of it. However God is the God of the impossible.
Conceit or pride - I don't sin or I'm able to control this myself. I just have to do ...! To many preachers offer cookbook cures for sin and sin is conquered only one way through Jesus Christ and letting Him be Lord of your life.
Presumption - You want God's help but you don't want too much of it. You want enough to get to heaven but you don't want to lose out on all the fun. You want to do it your way. You presume you can manage God rather than allowing God to manage you.
Procrastination - The unGodly belief that you have time. You can take care of the sin in your life later right now you are all about living. But procrastination is foolish and dangerous, because we "do not know what [our] life will be like tomorrow [We] are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).

How do we know if we are mouring properly or not? I found this quote and it really ran my bell.

The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins. His first concern is for the harm his sin does to God's glory, not the harm its exposure might bring to his own reputation or welfare.

How many of us can truthfully say we ever think of how our actions and responses reflect on God? I know I always think of how it will reflect on me and my claim to be a Christian but I never think about the light it casts upon God.

We must mourn properly we need to ask ourselves if we are sensitive to sin. If we laugh at it, take it lightly, or enjoy it, we can he sure we are not mourning over it and are outside the sphere of God's blessing.

The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins he will also grieve for the sins of fellow believers and for the sins of the world. He will cry with the psalmist, "My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Thy law" (Ps. 119:136).

The godly mourners "who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:5-6).


That wraps up verse 4 unless there are comments or thoughts.

I'm not getting much feedback on this study. Should I continue or does it not interest anyone?

Let me know I can save myself a lot of time and energy if no one cares about this study.

No its good stuff Ed. I think the lack of feedback stems because what you are teaching here is good stuff and everyone is in agreement pretty much with you. I taught on the beatitudes in church and the entire sermon on the mount a few times a well, so I think this is interesting. The Beatitudes and the entire Sermon on the mount is probably my favorite in the bible. So much Christian truth in it, and I believe it is over looked quit a bit.
I do love this quote you have here:

The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins. His first concern is for the harm his sin does to God's glory, not the harm its exposure might bring to his own reputation or welfare.

I think when you get done with the beatitudes maybe do the entire Sermon on the mount that would be awesome.

[Justaned]

Continuing our study.
Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Like the first two beatitudes, this one must have been shocking and upsetting to Jesus' hearers. Jesus was teaching principles that were totally foreign to their thinking.

Meek is from the Greek word praos. It means gentle mild or soft. It should be thought of more as the process of breaking a horse to make it useful to humans. As a human attitude it meant being gentle of spirit, meek, submissive, quiet, tenderhearted.

The main difference between being poor in spirit and being meek, or gentle, may be that poverty in spirit (brought out in our study of verse 4) focuses on our sinfulness, where meekness focuses on God's holiness.

I came across this quote.
"The basic attitude of humility underlies both virtues. When we look honestly at ourselves, we are made humble by seeing how sinful and unworthy we are; when we look at God, we are made humble by seeing how righteous and worthy He is." which I think ties into this study so well.

[Justaned]

Continuing our study.
Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Like the first two beatitudes, this one must have been shocking and upsetting to Jesus' hearers. Jesus was teaching principles that were totally foreign to their thinking.

Meek is from the Greek word praos. It means gentle mild or soft. Meekness does not connote weakness. The word was used in much extrabiblical literature to refer to the breaking of an animal.
Seen in a human attitude as being gentle of spirit, meek, submissive, quiet, tenderhearted.

Meekness means power put under control.Meekness is the opposite of violence and vengeance.

Meekness is not cowardice or emotional weakness. It is not lack of conviction, but rather its courage, its strength, its conviction, and its pleasantness that comes from God, not from self.

A great example of meekness is seen in Genesis 13:5-9 (NKJV)
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."

Abraham willingly let Lot take whatever land he wanted, giving up his rights for the sake of brotherhood with his nephew, for the sake of peace between their households, and for the sake of their testimony before "the Canaanite and the Perizzite (the world) that were dwelling with them in the land"

What example of Christian brotherhood!

We see other example with Joseph and his brothers, Moses, David, and many others that were used and abused by others and could justify vengeance but instead controlled themselves and were greatly used by God.

The main difference between being poor in spirit and being meek, or gentle, may be that poverty in spirit (brought out in our study of verse 4) focuses on our sinfulness, where meekness focuses on God's holiness.

I came across this quote.
"The basic attitude of humility underlies both virtues. When we look honestly at ourselves, we are made humble by seeing how sinful and unworthy we are; when we look at God, we are made humble by seeing how righteous and worthy He is." which I think ties into this study so well.

As with the other beatitudes, the general result of meekness is being blessed, being made divinely happy. God gives the meek His own joy and gladness.

More specifically, however, the gentle(meek)… shall inherit the earth. After creating man in His own image, God gave man dominion over the whole earth (Gen. 1:28). The subjects of His kingdom are going to come someday into that promised inheritance, largely lost and perverted after the Fall. Theirs will be paradise regained.
One day God will completely reclaim His earthly domain, and those who have become His children through faith in His Son will rule that domain with Him. And the only ones who become His children and the subjects of His divine kingdom are those who are gentle, those who are meek, because they understand their unworthiness and sinfulness and cast themselves on the mercy of God. The emphatic pronoun autos (they) is again used (see vv. 3, 4), indicating that only those who are meek shall inherit the earth.

The progression of the Beatitudes we have seen so far is. Poverty of spirit (the first) is negative, and results in mourning (the second). Meekness (the third) is positive, and results in seeking righteousness (the fourth) which we will look at next.