How to Be Blessed (1 of 9)
Series: Blessed
Jim Perdue
Matthew 5:1-12
Intro/Attention
*Blessed. What does it mean to be blessed? We use that word in so many different ways. The English word ''blessed'' comes from the same word as ''bliss.'' So you get the idea that being blessed means being content, at peace or happy. The Latin word for ''blessed'' is beatis which is where we get the term beatitudes in referring to this passage. The Greek word is makarios which many have translated ''happy'' but it gives the idea of happiness in association with holiness. We use that word ''blessed'' in so many ways today.
Spiritual ways: ''How was church?'' ''God really blessed…'' We try to be spiritual when someone sneezes, ''God bless you'' ''How are you today? ''I'm blessed…'' ''Too blessed to be stressed, too blessed to be depressed…'' Are you Dr. Suess?
Southern way (my favorite): ''Bless their heart'' You can say anything you want to say about a person as long as you include, ''bless their heart.'' I do declare that Johnny is about as dumb as a sack of hammers and wouldn't know his right hand if it slapped him in the face…bless his heart. My goodness, that little baby is so ugly that even his own mother must shudder at his sight…bless his heart. That preacher was so terrible I bet the seminary will come calling to ask for that degree back…bless his heart.*
Well, the ''blessed'' in Matthew 5 is not any of these. Jesus means something very different when He uses the word here. ''Blessed'' does not mean happy, even though some translations render it that way. Happiness is a subjective state, a feeling. But Jesus is not declaring how people feel; rather, He is making an objective statement about what God thinks of them. ''Blessed'' is a positive judgment by God on the individual that means ''to be approved'' or ''to find approval.'' So when God blesses us, He approves us.
Being blessed is not just a nice wish from God; it is a pronouncement that we are actu ...
Series: Blessed
Jim Perdue
Matthew 5:1-12
Intro/Attention
*Blessed. What does it mean to be blessed? We use that word in so many different ways. The English word ''blessed'' comes from the same word as ''bliss.'' So you get the idea that being blessed means being content, at peace or happy. The Latin word for ''blessed'' is beatis which is where we get the term beatitudes in referring to this passage. The Greek word is makarios which many have translated ''happy'' but it gives the idea of happiness in association with holiness. We use that word ''blessed'' in so many ways today.
Spiritual ways: ''How was church?'' ''God really blessed…'' We try to be spiritual when someone sneezes, ''God bless you'' ''How are you today? ''I'm blessed…'' ''Too blessed to be stressed, too blessed to be depressed…'' Are you Dr. Suess?
Southern way (my favorite): ''Bless their heart'' You can say anything you want to say about a person as long as you include, ''bless their heart.'' I do declare that Johnny is about as dumb as a sack of hammers and wouldn't know his right hand if it slapped him in the face…bless his heart. My goodness, that little baby is so ugly that even his own mother must shudder at his sight…bless his heart. That preacher was so terrible I bet the seminary will come calling to ask for that degree back…bless his heart.*
Well, the ''blessed'' in Matthew 5 is not any of these. Jesus means something very different when He uses the word here. ''Blessed'' does not mean happy, even though some translations render it that way. Happiness is a subjective state, a feeling. But Jesus is not declaring how people feel; rather, He is making an objective statement about what God thinks of them. ''Blessed'' is a positive judgment by God on the individual that means ''to be approved'' or ''to find approval.'' So when God blesses us, He approves us.
Being blessed is not just a nice wish from God; it is a pronouncement that we are actu ...
There are 11468 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
