Index for Sermon on the Mount Lesson Series
(Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7)

[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 5, KJV]
[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 5, ESV]

Matthew 5  

Living Blessed Series

Lesson 1 Blessed are the "poor in spirit." (verse 3). 

Lesson 2 Blessed are those who mourn. (verse 4).

Lesson 3 Blessed are the meek. (verse 5).

Lesson 4 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (verse 6).

Lesson 5 Blessed are the merciful. (verse 7).

Lesson 6 Blessed are the pure in heart. (verse 8).

Lesson 7 Blessed are the peacemakers. (verse 9).

Lesson 8 Blessed are the persecuted. (verses 10-12).


The Word and the Testimony

Lesson 9 "Shine". A study in Christian witness. (verses 13-16).

Lesson 10 "It Still Matters".  The relevance of God's Word. (verses 17-20).

Greater Righteousness Series 

Lesson 11 Greater Righteousness: "The danger of anger." (verses 21-26).

Lesson 12 Greater Righteousness: "The dust of lust." (verses 27-30).

Lesson 13 Greater Righteousness: "Marriage and Divorce." (verses 31-32).

Lesson 14 Greater Righteousness: "Oaths and Honesty." (verses 33-37)

Lesson 15 Greater Righteousness: "Better than getting even." (verses 38-42).

Lesson 16 Greater Righteousness: "Love you enemy, too." (verses 43-48).

[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 6, KJV]

[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 6, ESV]

Matthew 6

The Secret Life of Successful Christians Series

Lesson 17 The Secret Life: Giving (verses 1-4).

Lesson 18 The Secret Life: Understanding Prayer (verses 5-8).

Lesson 19 The Secret Life: Practicing Prayer (verses 9-15).

Lesson 20 The Secret Life: Fasting (verses 16-18).

Lesson 21 The Secret Life: Knowing What to Treasure (verses 19-21).

Lesson 22 The Secret Life: Replacing Worry With Trust (verses 22-34).

[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 7, KJV]

[Link to Blue Letter Bible, Matthew chapter 7, ESV]

Matthew 7

The Public Life of Successful Christians Series

Lesson 23 The Public Life: Compassion not Condemnation. (verses 1-5).

Lesson 24 The Public Life:Stewardship of Spiritual Treasures. (verse 6).

Lesson 25 The Public Life:Pursuing the Good. (verses 7-12).

Lesson 26 The Public Life:Deliberately Choosing the Narrow Way. (verses 1-14).

Lesson 27 The Public Life:Wary of Deception. (verses 15-27).

The Radical Teachings of Jesus Christ: Lesson 6 - Blessed are the Pure in Heart

 The Radical Teachings Of Jesus Christ

In Matthew 5 Jesus gives us a list of personal “attitudes” that will cause us to be “blessed” or “happy”. These are directly counter the usual humanistic way of thinking. 

Radical Concept #6

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." [Matthew 5:8 KJV]

Definition of “pure”.
Physically: “purified by fire” or “like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit.”
Ethically: free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt.
Free from what is false. Sincere or genuine. Blameless, innocent.
Unstained with the guilt of anything.

What is the ultimate revelation of God to mankind?

After a person comes to know Jesus Christ, do the previous levels of revelation remain active in the believer? 

What role do they continue to play in the believer’s life?

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." [2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV]

"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:" [1 Timothy 1:19 KJV]

Will the conscience of every believer be the same? What factors will affect this? 

"For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed [are] pure; but [it is] evil for that man who eateth with offence." [Romans 14:20 KJV] 

"Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." [Titus 1:15 KJV]

Is it possible for a conscience to create/maintain guilt that does not correlate to Divine judgment? Explain.

Is it possible to “fine tune” your conscience? How?

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:" [1 Peter 1:22 KJV]

In what way will a “good conscience”, or pure heart, manifest itself in the life of the believer?

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:" [1 Timothy 1:5 KJV] 

"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." [2 Timothy 2:22 KJV] 

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world." [James 1:27 KJV]

From where does the believer’s purity come?

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." [John 15:3 KJV]

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." [1 John 1:9 KJV]

What is the connection between purity and seeing God?

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." [1 John 3:2-3 KJV]

Radical Teachings of Jesus Christ #1: "Blessed are the poor in spirit".

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF LESSONS ON THE BEATITUDES FOUND IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 5.

To his listeners, the Sermon on the Mount must have seemed to turn the world upside down!

In Matthew 5 Jesus gives us a list of personal “attitudes” that will cause us to be “blessed” or “happy”. These are directly counter the usual humanistic way of thinking. 

Radical Concept #1
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:3 KJV]

• Is Jesus making a statement in this verse that endorses physical poverty?

IMPORTANT TRUTH: Despite the pervasive popularity of the “prosperity gospel” personal wealth or lack thereof is NOT an indicator or either God’s approval or disapproval in your life.

…[the Father] gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. [Mat 5:45b NLT]

• What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”?

HINT: How would you describe someone who is “poor in dollars” or “rich in dollars”?

• Identify the correct statements:

God needs everything I am and have… 
God needs nothing I am and have…
God wants everything I am and have…
God wants nothing I am and have…

• Identify the correct statement:

God will never ask us to do anything we cannot do…
God will never ask us to do anything we can do…

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, [2Ti 1:9 KJV]

• Why does a spiritual balance of “zero” qualify as blessed?

HINT: We cannot be filled with the "kingdom" until we are first emptied of "self".

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. [1Co 6:19-20 NLT]

• We will never be "poor in spirit" until we see God in his greatness.

Biblical examples:

Job: Job considers himself righteous until he has an encounter with God. 

"My righteousness I hold fast." (27:6)"I have heard of thee, but now I have seen thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." (42:5,6)

Isaiah: Isaiah is able to identify sin in others, then when he sees the Lord, he is able to identify it in himself.

Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. [Isa 3:11 KJV]Woe unto them that join house to house, [that] lay field to field, till [there be] no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! [Isa 5:8 KJV]Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, [that] they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, [till] wine inflame them! [Isa 5:11 KJV]Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: [Isa 5:18 KJV]Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [Isa 5:20 KJV]Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! [Isa 5:21 KJV]Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: [Isa 5:22 KJV]Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. [Isa 6:5 KJV]

Peter: Peter recognizing the superiority of Jesus is able to see his own inferiority.

"And when Peter saw that he fell at Jesus knees and said, Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man." Luke 5:8

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