Welcome again to part 6 of our study on seeing pictures of Jesus – different aspects of Him and His finished work for us – in the Beatitudes.
Now we are nearing the end, and we have been purposefully taking this slowly and with great care, because specifically the Beatitudes are very often mis-used as a legalistic barrier, a veil that keeps us from seeing or fully-embracing our new identity in Christ Jesus; and He never intended the Beatitudes (or any of His teaching) to be used in that fashion. That’s part of what the Pharisees were doing with the Old Covenant Law, and Jesus always corrected them strongly for it.
So today we continue looking at pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes, as we pick-up where we last left off in part 5.
Alright! Welcome again to part 5 of our series of studies about seeing pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes.
We have been taking our time and moving slowly through the Beatitudes, and we are taking this approach purposefully, because not only does it allow us to focus on one specific picture of Jesus at a time, and therefore dig deeper into it; but this slower pace is also beneficial because so often the beatitudes are seen as a list of rules to try and live for and towards, rather than as the pictures of Jesus and aspects of our new identity in Him today.
So today, we continue where we last paused in part 4, as we see more pictures of Jesus, and our new identity in Him.
Welcome to part four of our series on seeing pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes. So far we are about half way through, and we have already seen some fascinating and very awesome portraits of Jesus.
And so we will continue today, along the same path, because seeing Jesus is it the very core of our relationship and union with Him, and it benefits us – which is why the pictures are there to begin with. Think about it… Jesus doesn’t share pictures of Himself for His own benefit. God is not a megalomaniac – but rather He shares pictures of Himself with us for our benefit; because as we see more of Him, we can further appreciate and understand what He has accomplished for us, and in doing so, we can further so our new identity in Christ, and our standing in Him.
Welcome back to the third part of our series of studies focusing on seeing Jesus and pictures of Him and His finished work, right there in the first part of His sermon on the mount, known as the Beatitudes.
So far we have just begun to scratch the surface as we began looking at the first three of the Beatitudes; and already we have seen some amazing pictures of Jesus.
Today we will obviously continue with more of the Beatitudes as we see more pictures of Jesus
Last week we began a new series looking at the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, commonly known as the Beatitudes. And as I mentioned before, this teaching of Jesus is often seen from the perspective of goals to strive for, and while that may not seem too dangerous at first, it can very easily lead a person down the road of self-works and a performance-mindset which can be quite damaging and deadly in the end.
So in this series we have been looking at the Beatitudes, but not with the typical self-focused lenses. Instead we have been looking at the Beatitudes, from the perspective of seeing Jesus, and already we have seen some amazing details.
Today we will be continuing from where we paused last week, as we look at more pictures of Jesus in the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are one of the most famously well-known parts of the Sermon on the Mount.
This is where Jesus pronounces particular blessings according to certain things, and over the years entire sermons and studies have been conducted based on just these Beatitudes – many of which try to use this list given by Jesus as a “goal post” or “spiritual checklist” of sorts that people must work towards or strive for to obtain extra blessings or favor from God, or to try to be better Christians.
Today, I would like to share with you a different perspective – one not based on mere human behaviors in order to “be better”, but one based on seeing the finished work of Jesus, and truly receiving what He has accomplished.
You see, when Jesus taught, He wasn’t merely upholding the Law, with its rules and regulations (He had to do that because He was under the Law Himself when He walked on the earth) – but more importantly, He was preparing everyone for what He was about to do; the change that was coming. And within the Sermon on the Mount, are some of the most striking pictures of Jesus for us to see, and I am excited to share with you today in this study.