Blessed: Part 1 - 'The Poor in Spirit'

This Sunday, Rob Lea brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.
 
Here are some questions to consider:

Readings:

Matthew chapter 5 verses 1 - 3

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.



Prayer and Reflection:
Dear Lord Jesus, we try so hard to be self-sufficient, to be "rich in spirit." But ultimately our efforts to rely on ourselves fail. By your grace, we realise just how much we need you. So, we come to you, not full of riches or proud and full of ourselves, but empty, needy, truly poor in spirit. And you, Lord, meet us in our poverty.

Amen.



Questions to Consider

1. St Augustine said that the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) was a ‘perfect standard of life.’ What do you think he meant by that?
2. ‘Beatitude’ is translated in some bibles as ‘blessed’ and in others as ‘happy’. Which translation do you think is more appropriate, and why?
3. The great Welsh preacher, Doctor Martyn Lloyd Jones said, ‘All the other characteristics (listed in the beatitudes) are, in a sense, the result of this one.’ (Being ‘poor in spirit’) How is that so?
4. When Jesus refers to the ‘poor in spirit’, does he mean people who are downcast and dispirited, or something else?
5. Read Luke 18:9-14; the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Which of the two characters do you most relate to?
6. Do you agree that pride is the opposite of ‘poor in spirit’? If you do, why do you think that?
7. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ If you were asked by a friend, what or where is the kingdom of heaven, what would you say?