THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT – 1 (Matt 5:1-11)

• Context – The promised kingdom is at hand

• Content – The Messianic Manifesto and Discipleship Training Course

• Is it Realistic?

• Why should we study it?

The Beatitudes

• Blessed = The Life God Wants for You

• Not 8 but 1 (like the Fruit of the Spirit)

• Normal Christianity – not Exceptional

• Spiritual Acquisition not Natural Disposition

• Define the Distinctiveness of Kingdom Life

• Describe both ‘now’ and ‘then’

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

• Spiritual not economic beggars

• Recognise we have nothing to commend us to God

• Reliant on God’s mercy

• Receive the glorious riches of the gospel

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

• Spiritual not physical mourning

• Sin and God’s wrath are the cause

• The consolation of Israel is the cure

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

• Meekness is not weakness

• Rather it is lowliness and humility before God

• The inheritance is, by nature, a gift

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

• A sense of longing

• A righteousness only found in Christ

• An on-going appetite