Matthew 5:1-12

 ***Week 2 Memory Verse***

If your right eye causes you to sin,

pluck it out and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

Matthew 5:29-30

 

 

READ Matthew 5:1-12!

 

The Beatitudes

 

The Sermon on the Mount took, place at the beginning of the Lord's ministry as he was ministering in Galilee which is the northern part of Israel where he grew up. He had been preaching to and healing a large multitude of people who had heard of him and had come to him from all parts of Israel and from Syria.

Nine times Jesus said, "Blessed are..." Blessed is from the Greek makarios. It means well off, blessed, supremely blessed, happy. Jesus tells us how to be happy, by following these spiritual laws and depending on God.

Matthew 5:3 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit;

God loves a humble spirit. In Isaiah 66:2b the Lord says, "...but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word." (Also see Proverbs 16:19.) On the other hand, God hates pride. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth do I hate." (Also Proverbs 11:2; Romans 12:3; Galatians 6:3)

...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is the Lord's kingdom on earth.  Is it the church?  We are blessed to be a part of God's kingdom.

Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn; for they shall be comforted."

God sees your grief. He wants to comfort you. "...to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto those who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness..." Isaiah 61:2-3.

Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth."

Meek means humble and gentle. "The meek shall inherit the earth." Psalm 37:11. 

"The Lord lifts up the meek..."  Psalm 147:6. 

"The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord..." Isaiah 29:19. 

Again, God loves humility. (Isaiah 57:15; James 4:6; I Peter 5:5)

"...they shall inherit the earth." This will occur in the millennial reign when Jesus is ruling the earth and believers will be given positions of authority. (Revelations 11:15; Revelations 5:10; Revelations 20:4)

 Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."  God is pleased when we desire righteousness as much as we desire things that are essential for life.  He wants us to hunger and thirst after righteousness!  "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake." (Psalms 23:3)  "With the heart man believes unto righteousness." (Romans 10:10)  Jesus became sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Corinthians 5:21) This righteousness is not our own but from God.  It is not cheap.  Jesus paid for it by shedding his blood on the cross. 

Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy."  Merciful means compassionate; having tender mercy and compassion.  Hebrews 10:12 says, "...sow in righteousness, reap in mercy." We will get back what we give.  "...whatever a man sows that shall he also reap."

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."  Pure means spotless, righteous.  Purity is only obtained through the grace of God by the blood of Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God---Not of works, lest any man should boast."  Only those with a pure heart, by God's grace, will see God. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." Psalms 24:3-5

Matthew 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the sons of God."

The Lord is the Lord of peace. II Thessalonians 3:16 "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means."  He is the giver of peace and desires that we live in peace. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."  Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior makes us a child of God.  It should also make us a peacemaker. (Romans 12:17-18)

Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted  for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Being reviled we bless; being persecuted, we endure it." (I Corinthians 4:12).   

"If we suffer, we shall reign with him." (II Timothy 2:12)

"...Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:10-12)  According to II Timothy 3:12 those who live godly in Christ Jesus should expect persecution and according to Matthew 5:12 we should "rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven".  There is so much more to look forward to than what we can see and experience here on earth!

 

 

TIME OF REFLECTION:

In Matthew 5, verses 3 - 10, there are 8 things listed that God will bless and how He will bless them.  Side by side in your journal write the 8 characteristics/attitudes and the blessings. 

(Example: Be merciful - obtain mercy)

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  JULIA KILPATRICK is the wife of 45 years to Bro. Shannon Kilpatrick, mother to 7 adult children, and grandmother of 23 grandchildren.  Bro. Shannon and Mrs. Julia have been pastoring Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas since 1995. 







If you are enjoying Matthew: The King and The Kingdom, please take a minute and share the link to this Bible Study by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or by email using the icons below and invite your friends and family to study along with us!  Thank you!



Matthew 4:12-25

 ***Week 2 Memory Verse***

If your right eye causes you to sin,

pluck it out and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

Matthew 5:29-30

 

 

READ MATTHEW 4:12-25!

The Ministry of Jesus Begins

At the point when we read Matthew 4:12-25, Jesus has already fulfilled prophecy with his birth, been baptized declaring his obedience to God, and has resisted temptation from Satan himself.  He is now a grown man who sets forth to begin the greatest ministry work every witnessed on the face of the earth.

He knew he was the Son of God. He knew he had the ability to heal any ailment, cast out demons and to raise the dead. Yet, he didn’t set out to minister to others with fancy clothes, the best camel money could buy or a group of scholars who had been studying God’s Laws since birth.  Because Jesus also “knew” who he was sent to reach.

Jesus went forward into ministry wearing the clothes of a working man, on foot, and he chose common, simple, (sometimes worldly) men to be his disciples.

Because Jesus had lived as a common man, and knew the power of temptation, he was able to minister to the common man and to the person who had given into temptation.  He spoke their language, they “knew” he understood. (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Our experiences in life help us to become better teachers of God’s word.   Through our trials, he has given us a power to minister to others, driven by what we “know.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Matthew 4:19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Are you the person who has faced sickness or hardship and now you have the power of what you “know”, to encourage a friend who is facing similar sickness or hardship?

Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.  And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”

Are you the person who has caused great pain to others through your sins, but now you have the power of what you “know”, to go into the world and reach the sinner because they will not feel judgment from you, just hope, that only Jesus can bring?

Ephesians 2:12-13 “In those days you were living apart from Christ.  You were excluded from God’s people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them.  You lived in this world without God and without hope.  But now you belong to Christ Jesus.  Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.”

Matthew 4:17:  “…….Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 

As we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we have to turn daily from our sins or worldly temptations, in repentance, and take time to seek him so he can continue his ministry through us.  As we seek him, he will continue to teach us how to better reach those with our power of “know”.

 

Time of Reflection:

Look back in your life and create a list of trials The Lord has brought you through (big or small) and next to each trial, write a short description of how/when you were set free/healed. Take time to thank God for what he has shown you through each trial and ask him to reveal to you how you may minister to others with your power of “know”.

If you are currently struggling with something, write that trial down too and next to it write your favorite scripture of promise from God.  Take time to thank God for what he will reveal to you and ask him to send you a follower of Christ with their power of “know” to encourage you through your trial.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  JESSICA HONC  is the wife of 14 years to Will, and homeschooling mother of three children.  She is the Director of Freedom Fellowship Home School Co-op.  Jessica has served in many different capacities at Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas, such as librarian and children's teacher.

 

 

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Matthew 4:1-11

 ***Week 2 Memory Verse***

If your right eye causes you to sin,

pluck it out and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off and cast it from you;

for it is more profitable for you that

one of your members perish,

than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

Matthew 5:29-30

 

 

Read MATTHEW 4:1-11!

 

Satan Tempts Jesus

**Because we are going to be studying Genesis 3 along with our text in Matthew, our "Time of Refection" will be to write down the 3 ways Satan tempted Eve and the 3 ways he tempted Jesus side by side in your journal as you follow the study below!**

 

Before we start studying about the temptation of Jesus, I would like to look back to Genesis and see the parallels between how the devil tempted Eve in the garden and the temptation of Jesus.

 

I once heard a sermon about this and I would like to share with you what I learned.  Please read Genesis 3.  I'm going to just focus on verse six where it says "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."

The devil tempted her in three ways.

#1 Lust of the flesh- Eve saw the fruit of the tree was good for food.

#2 Lust of the eyes- It was pleasing to the eye.

#3- Pride of life- Also desirable for gaining wisdom.  

Now, lets look at our scripture and see how the devil tempted Jesus.  Keep in mind that Eve gave into temptation and it led to the fall of man, but Jesus overcame temptation and lived a sinless life here on Earth.

Matt. 4:1 says Jesus was LED BY THE SPIRIT. This is very important that we understand this was God's will for Jesus to be tempted.  4:2 says he fasted for forty days and nights and He was hungry.

4:3 says the tempter came to him and said "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread".

 

If you are the Son of God??? The devil has no ground to stand on saying that. I want you to look right above where you are reading at Matthew 3:17. God says "This is my Son, whom I love: with him I am well pleased." There is no question. It's in black and white.  The devil loves to make you doubt your position in Christ Jesus.  4:4 but Jesus answered, "It is written: man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

 

Round one #1 Lust of the flesh....JESUS WINS!

Lets move on to verse 6. 4:6 "If you are the Son of God, he said "Throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 

So this time the devil starts off with some scripture quoted from Psalms 91: 11-12, but he leaves off some of that scripture that says "to guard you in all your ways." Did you know the devil knows scripture sometimes better than we do, but be of good cheer, because our Jesus defeated him and will fight our battles for us.

 

Then Jesus answered him 4:7 "It is also written; 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

If Jesus fought the devil with the Word of God, how important do you think it is that we read our Bibles?  In Ephesians 6:17, God only gives us one offensive weapon when He tells us to put on the full armor of God. Guess what that weapon is?  It's the sword of the Spirit, which it tells us is the Word of God.  So next time you feel like you are being tempted, I want you to look up scripture that pertains to what you're going through and fight with the Word of God, your sword of the Spirit, and you will win the battle. I could stop right there and feel like the Lord has taught us so much in these few verses, but the devil doesn't always stop with round one or two even though. I wish that he did.

 

Round two #2 Lust of the eyes.....JESUS WINS!

 

In 4:8 The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 4:9  "All this I will give you," he said, "If you will bow down and worship me."

Right here, the devil tells him no need to continue in this life and do the work Gods called you to do. No need to go to the cross (I bet that was in the back of his mind this whole time. If he will just slip up, I won't be defeated.) No need for the resurrection just bow down and worship me. 

4:10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'  

 

Round three #3 Pride of life.....JESUS WINS! 

 

In the end JESUS WINS!

 

Then it says in 4:11, Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Hallelujah!!!

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  MELISSA POWELL is the wife of 7 years to James, and step mother to two children.  She works full-time and still serves as Co-Director of Children's Church at Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas. 






If you are enjoying Matthew: The King and The Kingdom, please take a minute and share the link to this Bible Study by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or by email using the icons below and invite your friends and family to study along with us!  Thank you!

Matthew 3:13-17

****Week 1 Memory Verse****

In those days John the Baptist came preaching

in the wilderness of Judea,  and saying,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”

Matthew 3:1-3

 

 

READ MATTHEW 3:13-17!

 

Jesus' Baptism

Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized at the start of his public Ministry.  John knew that Jesus didn’t need to be baptized by him for forgiveness of sins and that he was unworthy to baptize Him.  Jesus told John “to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15).

Baptism is the public proclamation that we have decided to joyfully follow the Lord. (Rom 6:4).  I have read that Jesus was baptized so that He could identify with sinners.  I don’t think that is true.  I think He was baptized to show God that He was willingly taking on the burden of the cross.  His baptism also gave credibility to John’s ministry.  (John 1:33).

Immediately after John baptized Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon him.  And God proclaimed that Jesus was indeed His Son (Matt 3:17).  In these few verses, we see God; the Father, God; the Son and God; the Holy Spirit.  This gave proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that He was indeed the Son of God!

Jesus was the perfect example to us in all things.  We willingly follow him into baptism so that, just as it began His ministry, we can publicly proclaim our desire to start living for God.  The Bible gives us several examples of the urgency and importance of getting baptized as soon as possible.
(Acts 2:41, Acts 19:5, Romans 6:4)
 

TIME OF REFLECTION:

Do you remember the joy you felt when you were first saved?  Do you remember the happiness of being baptized and publicly announcing your desire to follow Christ?  Doing God’s work is always good, but joyfully doing God’s work is what He desires of us.  Just as we were so joyful to follow Him in baptism, we should strive to joyfully follow him in all of His teachings.

 
Think of some areas in your life where you begrudgingly (however slightly) serve the Lord and work, this day, to making it a source of joy and not of labor.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  DALE CHANCE is the husband of 16 years to Naomi, and Father to 4 children.  He attends Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas, where he serves in the Sound & Media Ministry. 

Matthew 3:1-12

****Week 1 Memory Verse****

In those days John the Baptist came preaching

in the wilderness of Judea,  and saying,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”

Matthew 3:1-3

 

 

READ MATTHEW 3:1-12!

John the Baptist Prepares The Way

One of my favorite people in the Bible is John the Baptist.  To put it modernly, he “kept it real”.  He went all over Judea preaching “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”,  and baptism for the remission of sins.  He was sent to prepare a way for the coming of Jesus, which was prophesied about in Isaiah.  He taught hard, letting everyone know, someone was coming, who he wasn’t even worthy enough to carry his shoes!!!  Jesus was coming and he was about to clean house!  Even when the Pharisees and Sadducees came, he let them know, not to come to be baptized, because it was the popular thing to do, but clean your house, live right, let your life show that your repentance and fruit, that you may receive God’s mercy.  John the Baptist was clearly on a mission to make a way for the teachings of Jesus.

This clearly applies to us still today.  To prepare the way for Jesus in our lives, we must confess and turn from our sins.  I use this saying a lot, but it’s very true here, we must keep our house clean.  If you have visitors coming to visit, you make sure that your house is tidy and neat.  That goes for Jesus and sin.  If we want Jesus in our lives, to visit our house, we have to have a repentant heart and turn from our sin.  Prepare the way in your life for Jesus to enter in and work in your heart, and your light will shine.  Acts 3:19

 

TIME OF REFLECTION:

Ask yourself today, “How clean is my house?”  Take time and ask the Lord to show you in your life what is unpleasing to him.  Be prepared for what happens when you pray this, for John 14:13-14 says “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that my father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”  Take time to prepare your life for Jesus to come in, and see how he uses you.

What do you know about the life of John the Baptist?  Take a few minutes to read some passages about him.  Write down every detail you can about the man that Isaiah (40:3) prophesied would come some 700 years before his birth!  References to look at are Matthew 3, 11:7-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:1-13; Luke 1:11-20, 57-80, 3:1-20; and John 1:19-36, 3:25-36.  Who were some of his relatives?  What did he look like?  How did he dress?  Where did he live?  What was his message?  List some significant things he did during his ministry.  How did he die?   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  MITCHELL SANCHEZ is the husband of 5 years to Tonya, and Dad to 2.  He works in the I.T. Department at Education First F.C.U.  Mitchell attends Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas ,where he plays the drums on the Praise Team and serves as Director of the Media Department.