The Beatitudes are among the best-known verses in the Bible, but what do they really mean?
Part of the Interactive Bible Studies series.
Blessed are the poor in spirit...but can I keep my Mercedes?
Blessed are those who mourn...but what if no-one I know has died lately?
The meek shall inherit the earth...if that's OK with the rest of you.
The Beatitudes are among the best-known verses in the Bible, but what do they really mean? The Good Living Guide unlocks the treasures of the beatitudes by going back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament was Jesus' Bible, and all these pithy sayings are either direct quotes from it, or strongly reflect it's teaching.
The Good Living Guide will not only help you discover afresh the meaning of Matthew 5:1-12, it will teach you how to understand the New Testament by learning the message of the Old. And most important of all, you will have the painful but exhilarating experience of being challenged by the words of Jesus.
An ideal study book for individuals and small groups.
How to make the most of these studies
1. The Good Living Guide
2. The Privilege of the Poor
3. The Pleasures of the Mourners
4. The Strength of the Meek
5. The Satisfaction of the Righteousness
6. The Return of the Merciful
7. The Sight of the Pure
8. The Family of the Peacemakers
9. The Joy of the Persecuted
| Contributors | Phillip D Jensen, Tony Payne |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781921441233 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | January 2004 |
| Dimensions | 157mm x 225mm x 4mm |
| Weight | 0.11 kg |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 72 |
| No. of studies | 9 |
| Publisher | Matthias Media |
The ordering and efficiecy of delivery was reassuring when we as a church chose to do the Beatitudes Study Guide. Thank you for your promptness and value, we are looking forward to continuing the study.
Prompt Delivery so I was really pleased.
We've only just begun these particular studies on the beatitudes here in SW France. As you would expect from Jensen and Payne, there's no mucking about.
The roots of all that Jesus is teaching in the beatitudes go back to the days of the Old Testament when most of the Lord's people had abandoned him for the gods and values of the world around them. It's no different in Jesus' day itself. And, as the authors show, it's often not much different today among those who profess to follow Jesus Christ. Our study group is finding the studies piercingly uncomfortable at times.
Yet, neither Jesus nor the study book authors are legalists or ascetics. There are nine fabulous blessings for all who submit to Jesus' kingly rule and who reflect the humility and grace of the king himself.
I like the paper chosen for the study book, the type face and the way the studies are set out. Inviting.
There's great help for the preacher struggling to apply the beatitudes.
For me, the ideal MattMedia guide has an interesting/arresting introduction to each study. This one does, but there is no approach question.
In most of your studies the main content is a good balance between discussion pointers and exposition. This study has lots of excellent exposition, but there is too much of it. The questions are not as challenging or deep as many of the other studies (and we've done lots as a group) and are too infrequent.
The pattern: OT > NT > Today works really well and the concluding application questions are right on the nail.
We found this to be a helpful book. Having the NT so tied into the OT was very helpful. I did this study with 2 single guys who are unlikely to get married and found the cover to be pretty unhelpful. According to the cover good living is to be a muscular white man holding a beautiful woman in a relaxing other worldly location - fortunately the book contents say something else.
This book is a good sound examination of the Beatitudes. It does run out of steam a little in the latter chapters. We have gone through it in a house group and benefitted greatly.
