Curing Disbelief
Week # 1: January 14/15
Connecting With Others
How would you define the word “blessed”? As a group, have each person write down their own
definitions on a piece of paper. Then collect and read each one, letting the group guess who wrote
them.
Have fun with this one. Perhaps discuss on our responses reveal the authors personalities. While some
have translated Jesus’ opening words, “Happy are…”, happiness is more of a subjective state, whereas
Jesus is making an objective statement about these people. He is declaring not what they may feel like,
but what God thinks of them and what on that account they are, “blessed.” Know that the Greek
translation of the word “blessed” does mean happy, but not in the subjective state in which we use it in
modern America.
Commit to Growth
Read Matthew 5:1-3; Luke 18:9-14
1. What does Matthew 5:1-2 tell us about the context of Jesus’ message and his listeners? What
do they tell us about Jesus?
Rabbis normally sat while teaching (Matthew 13:1-2; Mark 4:1). Jesus’ opening remarks begin
the backdrop for what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, the best known part of Jesus’
teaching and probably those uttered early in his public ministry. The beatitudes set Christ’s own
expectations of what every Christian ought to look like. Each quality is commended, inasmuch as
each person who exhibits this attitude is called “blessed.”
2. Who do you normally consider blessed or fortunate? How does Jesus’ statement in v.3
contradict our usual idea of blessedness?
The Beatitudes demonstrate that the way to the heavenly Father is opposite to the worldly path
people normally follow to find happiness. Here Jesus describes the character of true faith. Being
“poor in spirit” is opposite of self sufficiency, and includes a deep humility of recognizing our
own spiritual bankruptcy.
3. To be “poor in spirit” is to acknowledge our own spiritual poverty or bankruptcy before God.
Why is this an indispensable condition for receiving the kingdom of God?
To be “poor in spirit” means that we have nothing to offer, nothing to plead, nothing with which
to buy the favor of heaven. The tax collector in Luke 18 recognizes that he is unable to save
himself; therefore, he looks to God for salvation, while recognizing that he has no claim on God.
This is the kind of spiritual poverty that is also commended in Isaiah 57.
4. Compare and contrast the actions of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. In your
own life, how have you been blessed in acknowledging your own spiritual bankruptcy?
The Pharisee exalts himself and therefore has no need of God, whereas the tax collector asks for
mercy and receives it from God. Have the group share their own stories and experiences of
receiving mercy and grace and how that “blessed” them.
5. In what areas do you readily acknowledge your need for God? In what areas do you have
trouble acknowledging your need for God?
Let’s get personal and specific. Drive this question home. In what areas are we self reliant and
disbelieve God and therefore have no need for him. What areas of our life is it easy to trust
God? Why?
6. What application will Christ’s offer and promise have on your life in 2012?
Remember this whole discussion is about disbelief. While we may profess Christ, in many ways
we are all practical atheists, choosing to live in our own strength and not taking God at his word
or following his will and plan for our lives. So how can we be ‘poor in spirit’ and live beyond
ourselves?
©SeaCoast Grace Church, 2012