PASSAGE: Matthew 5:1-12
SERIES SUMMARY
As Jesus steps onto the scene of history, Matthew paints a picture of him that invites our participation in what Jesus is doing. The portrait is that Jesus is the True King who is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. This good news is not reserved for especially religious people in a distant future; it’s good news, right now, for ordinary people who come to Jesus in faith.
And while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom among us through teaching and serving in dozens of ways, he ultimately brought heaven to earth by embracing the cross as his throne and wearing thorns as his crown. In doing this, he broke the powers of the kingdom(s) of this world and opened up God’s new world through his resurrection. Now, because of these things, discipleship to Jesus is about praying and living “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” It is about whole-life transformation and embodying kingdom realities. It is about becoming people who naturally live out what Jesus taught. Today, because of Matthew’s witness and Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is coming in our own lives, “on earth as it is in heaven.”
PASSAGE GUIDE
We all carry a mental picture of “the good life” shaped by family, culture, and what we watch others celebrate. It usually looks like security, strong relationships, respect, health, happiness, and a sense that life turned out okay. But Jesus turns our definition of blessing upside down. On a hillside in Galilee, He speaks to the broken and desperate, the sick, the oppressed, the spiritually confused and announces the blessed life: “Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” The word “blessed” (makarios) means fortunate, truly well-off, good life. Yet Jesus attaches it to people who look like they’ve lost. He isn’t giving a ladder to climb; He’s declaring what’s true in His kingdom.
The key is this: the blessing isn’t found in poverty, grief, or weakness themselves. Jesus isn’t praising suffering. The blessing is in the kingdom, God’s reign now available to us right where we are. Your lowest places don’t mean God has abandoned you; they can become the very places where kingdom life is experienced most deeply. The spiritually bankrupt? The kingdom is open. The grieving? They will be comforted. The powerless? They will inherit the earth. The desperate for righteousness? They will be filled.
Then Jesus describes what the kingdom forms over time: the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who endure persecution. The order matters: He doesn’t say, “Become this and then enter.” He says, “The kingdom is yours and as you live in it, this is who I will make you.” And before the Beatitudes describe us, they first reveal Jesus. He is poor in spirit, meek, sorrowful, and perfectly righteous. At the cross, He bears the cost of the upside-down kingdom the Merciful One receives no mercy, the Pure One is treated as unclean, the King is cast out so we can receive blessing by grace.
These are not promises of a storm-free life; they are promises of a storm-proof foundation. Storms will come with loss, disappointment, diagnosis, opposition. A life built on the kingdom of self achievement, approval, image, control will collapse. But a life built on Jesus’ definition of blessing will stand. So the question is simple and searching: What must change about your idea of the blessed life now that Jesus has spoken? Where are you building on sand? Where have you called “blessed” what Jesus does not? What would shift this week if you trusted Him to define the good life? The kingdom is here, the King has spoken, and His arms are open to those who know they need grace right where you are.
*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS
Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. You do not need to listen to both sermons at both campuses to participate in the discussion.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Read Matthew 5:1-12)
- What does our culture tell us the "blessed life" looks like (through social media, workplaces, friend groups,...)?
- If you could scroll through your heart like Instagram, what would your "#blessed" life look like? (Financial security, Relational harmony, Physical health, Professional success, Social influence or approval,...)
- Which of the Beatitudes challenges your personal definition of 'the blessed life' most directly, and what does that reveal about where you've been building your sense of security or worth?
- How does the idea that Jesus bore the opposite of each Beatitude on the cross change the way you approach obedience and transformation in your own life?
- Where have you experienced a "storm" that exposed a shaky foundation in your life and what did that reveal about what you trusted in? (A job loss, health crisis, relational betrayal, financial setback…)
- In what specific area of your life are you currently building on the 'kingdom of self' rather than the kingdom of heaven, and what would repentance look like there?
- How does recognizing that the blessing is located in the kingdom rather than in the condition itself change the way you view your current hardships or struggles?
- What would it look like for our church community to become known as a place where the poor in spirit, the mourners, and the meek are genuinely welcomed and celebrated as blessed?
- How have you experienced the tension between wanting kingdom benefits while resisting becoming the kind of person Jesus describes in the Beatitudes?
- What is one concrete step you could take this week to align your calendar, money, relationships, or decisions with Jesus' upside-down vision of the blessed life?
RESOURCES