#Blessed : Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
Family Meal Discussion
Greeting + Meal
Take the first 45 minutes to gather into the home, share some food, listen to each other.
Storytelling
Transition from the dining table to a more relaxed area, like the living room, if possible.
This weeks story to share:
Jesus’ idea of who’s blessed is way different than ours!
When we think about who’s blessed, and even when we think about blessing in our life, we normally equate it to material things/prosperity.
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. (Matthew 5:1-3 msg)
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.” (Matthew 12:34-37 msg)
Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14 msg)
God, investigate my life;
get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in! (Psalm 139:1-6 msg)
“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (Matthew 5:21 msg)
“You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt. (Matthew 5:28 msg)
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Romans 6:22-23 msg)
When you recognize your Spiritual debt, that should help you be poor in spirit towards others.
He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’
“Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’”
Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” (Luke 18:9-14 msg)
No matter how far you are spiritually, and no matter how Righteous you begin to act… Just remember you were a beggar and you always would be without Jesus!
The Beatitudes can be looked at and interpreted as steps along the journey of your relationships with God.
“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. (Revelation 3:15-17 msg)
The problem arises in your spiritual walk when you compare yourself to others then you think you’ve arrived
3 Ways We Are To Be Poor In Spirit
1. Recognize the Debt in Your Spiritual Account
What are some ways you are lacking in your spiritual walk?
2. Act Poor In Spirit Toward Others
Do you find yourself trying to hold others up to a standard?
3. Remain Poor In Spirit Throughout The Journey
What actions are you doing to help yourself grow in your spiritual journey?
Closing + Goodbyes
Ask if anyone has additional thoughts or questions about the story or points. Close with an appropriate prayer time based on the faith level of those there tonight.
DNA Group Discussion
DISCOVER (PRE-WORK) Before and while you read these passages ask the Spirit of God to illuminate your heart and mind and bring conviction and clarity of his truth for your life. Take some time during your own personal study to read through these four key questions:
Scripture to study this week: Matthew 5:1-3, Matthew 12, Ecclesiastes 12, Psalm 139, Romans 6, Luke 18, Revelation 3
1. Who is God (what does this passage tell me about God’s character)?
2. What Has God Done (how do I see God’s character in action here)?
3. Who Am I (How does God’s character and action shape how I see myself)?
4. What Do I Do (if I believe 1-3 how would I respond and relate to others)?
QUESTION: What did you DISCOVER during your study?
NURTURE Confess out loud to one another areas of personal struggle or unbelief that the Spirit revealed during your personal study.
In light of this week’s sermon, consider these questions together:
1. What are some ways you are lacking in your spiritual walk?
2. Do you find yourself trying to hold others up to a standard?
3. What actions are you doing to help yourself grow in your spiritual journey?
QUESTION: How will you REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel?
ACT In light of your time together, what steps will you take to act on your new discoveries and affirmed beliefs?
Consider these questions:
1. What is a tangible way that you can bear witness to the gospel in your school, workplace or neighborhood this week?
2. How can you demonstrate God’s involvement in your life? How can you be more aware of it and draw attention to it?
QUESTION: What will you DO and who will you TELL about what God has done?
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Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
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