Week 9- Changing our Attitudes with the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
Last week we talked about temptation. Remember when Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days and the Devil tried to make him turn stones into bread, and jump off a temple, and even worship him instead of God? Jesus sure knew how to make him go away, didn't He? Jesus said, "Get out of here, Satan! You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him."
This month we're going to talk about how to serve Christ. Many people today are just like people back in Jesus' time. We want to be good followers, but we don't know what to do. Each week this month we are going to talk about what Jesus showed us about serving Him. Some things might surprise you!
This lesson is often called "The Sermon on the Mount." The things Jesus lists are known as "the beatitudes." Jesus noticed that a crowd was gathering around Him. He was getting to be pretty popular. His disciples gathered close, and He began to teach. Jesus wanted His friends to know how to be blessed by God.
What does blessed mean? (It can mean holy, or appreciated by God)
As a Christian, do you want to be blessed? (Yes! We want God to look on us with favor. We want Him to be proud of us.)
Jesus listed 8 things that Christians can do that makes God very happy. Some of them are harder than others. Let's go through each of them and write them down using our own words.
I will have out a big sheet of poster board or chart paper hanging on the wall to fill out as we go through the verses.
Verse 3 starts us off. "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." This verse means that when we know that we can't do everything by ourselves, that we need Jesus, not a big-screen tv, to make us satisfied, we are making God happy. He wants us to need him, just like a little puppy needs it's mom.
On the chart paper I'll write 1. We realize our need for God.
Verse 4 gives us the second blessing. "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Do you take comfort in knowing Jesus is always with you? If you do, then you will be blessed!
2. We know that God is ALWAYS with us.
This next verse says, "God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." What does it mean to be humble? (Lowering yourself before others, being modest) If we are humble, then we take care of others before we take care of ourselves. We aren't selfish and we don't think we deserve the best always, we want to give the best to our friends and family!
3. We put others needs' before our own.
"God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied." Justice is a fancy word for keeping things fair. When you see someone not being treated fairly, what should you do about it? If your dad is cutting a cake into pieces for you and your brothers, should the pieces be equal? If we want things to be just, then we need to make sure we keep things fair.
4. We try to keep things fair.
So far, how does it look? Do you think God will bless you for how you treat others and respond to the things that happen in this world?
The next verse says "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Wow, that kind of sounds like "You get what you give," but only in a good way! If we are merciful, which means we are compassionate and loving- we forgive others when we have the right to punish them- then we will be given the same treatment. How many of us can do this?
5. Forgive others.
We've got three more to go. It's getting tough, isn't it? Verse 8 says, "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." How can we keep a pure heart? (Keeping our minds focused on Godly things, trying to be nice, keeping our hearts 'clean' {like our lesson a couple of weeks ago talked about!})
6. Keep a pure heart.
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." How can we be peaceful? What can you do at school to work for peace? How about at home?
7. Work for peace.
And the last thing on the list Jesus talks about a little bit, because it's hard to understand. He said, "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heave is theirs." What does "persecuted for doing right" mean? Well, He continues in verses 11 and 12 to say, "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in Heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."
For number 8, let's write:
8. Be happy when working for God.
There are a lot of people in this world that don't like Christians. There are a lot of people in America that think that life should be about having fun and doing whatever makes us happy, even if it's not good for us or for others. By keeping up with God's commandments, we might sometimes feel left out (girls' outfits are a BIG subject that can be discussed here) or feel like we don't fit in, but Jesus is telling us that it's a good thing! We should be happy that we don't stand with the rest of the world. If something is wrong, then we know it's wrong. We need to build others up and encourage our friends, not be mean and try to make ourselves look important. Anytime we feel like our friends aren't being nice, or we feel left out, we should be happy. Weird, huh? But it's more important that we are happy with God than happy with our friends. After all, eventually the things in this world won't be around anymore, but if you're a good Christian, then you will live forever with God in Heaven. That makes me happy!
For our craft today, I have a simple cross craft from Oriental Trading for the kids to color. It has one of the Beatitude verses on it. It's listed as a Valentine craft, but really it's not. It says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God! Matthew 5:8"
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