Over the past few weeks we have been spending our time going through the life of Christ according to the book of Matthew. We have entered into the Beatitudes that Christ shares with his disciples. It is understood that these are marks or characteristics of a follower of Christ.
This Wednesday we will be sharing with your students the last five Beatitudes.
Matthew 5:7
- God blesses the merciful
> Mercy is simply not getting what we deserve. Our goal is to remind students that mercy is something that we have been given by God and therefore we must also give in return. The reaction to receiving should be giving.
Matthew 5:9
- God blesses the peace maker
> Peace in this sense can simply mean to bring good into others lives. Peace is not causing turmoil. For students the hardest places to be a peacemaker are at home with parents and siblings and at school with friends. Christ brought peace into the world.
Matthew 5:8
- God blesses those whose hearts are pure
> This was such a huge thing for Christ to say to the disciples because during this time the peoples example was the religious leaders who focused on the outside as a testament to your righteousness. Christ challenge is that what is really in the heart is what really comes out. Being pure in heart is seeking to stay clean.
> Other Scripture used for pure in heart - Matthew 15:1-2; 7-9; 16-20, Ephesians 5:1-2; 3-5; 6-9
Matthew 5:10-12
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing right, following Christ
> Persecution is a sign that we are doing something right, living a life that reflects Christ. The fact that we are being persecuted is proof that we are being faithful; those who are faithless go easily unnoticed by those on the outside (many times people notice no difference in them, therefore they notice no Savior).
As an example we will be reading the story of a young man in Indonesia who suffered for Christ.
- Here is the link to that story - Roy Pontoh
Our Goal:
- As we journey through this together we want students to see that a life marked by following Christ is more than just coming to church. When we truly seek to follow him what develops is a life that is blessed (the beginning of each Beatitude) whether by giving peace, being pure in heart, or being persecuted.
Questions to ask your student:
1. What is the hardest part for you about following Christ?
2. Is there anyone that you are struggling to give mercy to?
3. What place is it hardest for you to be peace maker?
4. Do you feel like I am a peace maker?
5. What do you think it means to be pure in heart?
6. Do you ever feel like you are looked down on because of your faith?
No comments:
Post a Comment