Crucial Aspects of Matthew 5 Through 7
Message Two
The Blessing of Those Who Mourn, the Blessing of the Meek, and the Blessing of the Peacemakers, Who Will Be Called the Sons of God
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Matt. 5:4-5 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
I. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted—Matt. 5:4: (Monday)
A. The saints who are poor in spirit and seek God will mourn because of the surrounding situation, the present age, and all the people in the world, who in such a way do not want God, resist God, and rebel against God.
B. The entire world situation is negative toward God’s economy; God’s glory is shamed, Christ is rejected, the Holy Spirit is frustrated, the church is desolate, the self is corrupt, and the whole world is evil—Matt. 5:4.
C. A believer who lives in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens often has this kind of mourning; the object of this mourning is God and His government, and this mourning is high and holy—Matt. 5:4.
———————————————————————————————————————-
D. If we are poor in spirit, we will surely mourn; we will feel sad and sorrowful because of the poor condition among God’s people and even because of our own condition. (Tuesday)
———————————————————————————————————————-
II. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth—Matt. 5:5: (Wednesday)
A. If we are poor in spirit and mourn for the pitiful situation of others, we will spontaneously be meek.
———————————————————————————————————————-
B. The Lord Jesus spoke of Himself: “I am meek [or, gentle] in heart”; meekness is a human virtue of Christ through the divine life—Matt. 11:29; 2 Cor. 10:1. (Thursday)
C. Christ’s meekness is seen in the way He entered into Jerusalem as described in Matthew 21:1-11; He was meek, riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden—Matt. 21:5.
D. The meek shall inherit the earth; if we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and participate in the kingdom, we will inherit the kingdom of God—Matt. 5:5; 1 Cor. 6:9a, 10b.
E. We have entered the kingdom through regeneration and now need to grow and develop in the divine life; the result of this growth and development is that we inherit the kingdom of God—1 Cor. 6:9a, 10b.
———————————————————————————————————————-
III. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God; our Father is the God of peace, who has a life of peace with a nature of peace, and we have been born of Him—Matt. 5:9; Rom. 15:33: (Friday)
A. For the sake of the kingdom of the heavens, under its heavenly rule, we must be peacemakers among all men; since we have been born of Him, if we would be peacemakers, we must walk in His divine life according to His divine nature—Heb. 12:14; Rom. 15:33.
———————————————————————————————————————-
B. The central thought of the book of Romans is that in His salvation God makes sinners His sons, having His life and nature, so that they may become the constituents of the Body of Christ as His expression—Rom. 8:14, 19. (Saturday)
C. Romans 8 gives special emphasis to sonship; all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God, and the leading of The Spirit indicates that we are sons of God in the growth in life—Rom. 8:14.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted—Matt. 5:4.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth—Matt. 5:5.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God—Matt. 5:9.
Word of Appetizer
For what kind of situation does God want us to mourn? What kind of mourning is noble and holy?
The entire situation of the world is negative toward God’s economy. God’s glory is dishonored, Christ is rejected, The Spirit is frustrated, the church is desolate, the self is corrupt, and the whole world is wicked. Satan, sin, the self, darkness, and the world have brought the people of the whole earth into bondage. God wants us to mourn for such a situation.
The mourning of the saints is not due to their own calamities but due to not gaining God enough. The object of this mourning is God and His governmental authority. This kind of mourning is noble and holy.
Spiritual Burden
If we are poor in spirit and mourn for the pitiful situation of others, we will spontaneously be meek. We are meek toward others, but we must fight against the power of darkness. If we are meek and willingly endure the opposition of worldly people in this age, we shall inherit the earth in the coming age.
For the sake of the kingdom of the heavens, under its heavenly rule, we must be peacemakers among all men. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
The Experience of Life
Our grieving hearts will receive consolation by gaining God and submitting to His government today. But the greater and fuller consolation we will receive will be in the coming kingdom and in eternity.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” The leading of The Spirit indicates that we are sons of God in our growth in life.
Practice and Application
The situation among God’s people today is truly worthy of mourning. For the kingdom life, we also need to mourn. We need to mourn for ourselves, for our society, and for Christianity today.
We are meek toward others, but we must fight against the power of darkness. If we are meek and willingly endure the opposition of worldly people in this age, we shall inherit the earth in the coming age.
We have entered the kingdom through regeneration, and now we need to grow and develop in the divine life. The result of this growth and development is that we inherit the kingdom of God.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 We Must Mourn, but We Are Full of Hope (Matt. 5:4)
(Give examples of the negative things today for which we should mourn.)
T2 Only Mourning for God Is Beautiful, Precious, and Glorious (Matt. 5:4; Rev. 7:17)
(Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall receive consolation; Please illustrate what blessings are included in the consolation here.)
Day 2
T1 When We Are Poor in Spirit, We Will Spontaneously Mourn (Matt. 5:3-4)
(Why is the situation among God’s people today truly worthy of mourning?)
T2 If We Are Poor in Spirit, We Will Surely Mourn for the Whole Situation (Matt. 5:3-4; Luke 6:21)
(Give examples of how we should mourn for our environment and the people around us.)
Day 3
T1 Blessed Are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth (Matt. 5:5)
(Please illustrate what “the earth” in Matthew 5:5 refers to.)
T2 Worldly People Gain the Earth by Striving, but the Kingdom of the Heavens Is Gained through Meekness (Matt. 5:5; Num. 12:3)
(Please illustrate that Satan is always striving, but the Lord Jesus never strove; rather, He was meek.)
Day 4
T1 A Person Who Is Poor in Spirit, Hungers and Thirsts for God, and Mourns in His Heart Will Surely Be Meek (Matt. 11:29)
(Please illustrate the meaning of meekness.)
T2 At the Time of the Kingdom, Those Who Gain the Earth Will Be the Meek and Non-resisting Ones (2 Cor. 10:1; Heb. 2:5-7)
(Give an example showing that meekness is like the kind of hemp rope ball used on a small steam launch.)
Day 5
T1 Those Who Make Peace Shall Be Called Sons of God (Matt. 5:9)
(Please illustrate that the people of the kingdom are peace-makers, those who cause others to have peace.)
T2 The Son of God, the Lord Jesus, Came to the Earth to Bring Peace among Men (Heb. 12:14)
(Please illustrate that since the Lord causes men to have peace with one another and also causes men to have peace with God, we must be this way to be called sons of God.)
Day 6
T1 The Requirement to Be at Peace with Men Is Higher than Love (Matt. 5:9; Rom. 8:14)
(Why, in His teaching in Matthew 5, did the Lord not speak of love but of peace?)
T2 In His Salvation, God Makes Sinners into Sons (Rom. 8:14, 19)
(Please illustrate what the central thought of the book of Romans is.)
