THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT – 1 (Matt 5:1-11)
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Context – The promised kingdom is at hand
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Content – The Messianic Manifesto and Discipleship Training Course
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Is it Realistic?
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Why should we study it?
The Beatitudes
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Blessed = The Life God Wants for You
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Not 8 but 1 (like the Fruit of the Spirit)
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Normal Christianity – not Exceptional
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Spiritual Acquisition not Natural Disposition
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Define the Distinctiveness of Kingdom Life
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Describe both ‘now’ and ‘then’
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Spiritual not economic beggars
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Recognise we have nothing to commend us to God
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Reliant on God’s mercy
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Receive the glorious riches of the gospel
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
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Spiritual not physical mourning
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Sin and God’s wrath are the cause
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The consolation of Israel is the cure
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
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Meekness is not weakness
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Rather it is lowliness and humility before God
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The inheritance is, by nature, a gift
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
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A sense of longing
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A righteousness only found in Christ
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An on-going appetite