APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
1. What does it mean to be blessed by God? How does Jesus’ eight “blessed” statements reshape your view of being glad in God?
2. Of the four “blessed” statements directed towards God (Mt 5:3-6), which one is most unnatural to you? How might you cultivate it as a spiritual discipline?
3. Of the four “blessed” statements directed towards man (Mt 5:7-11), which one is most unnatural to you? How might you cultivate it as a spiritual discipline?
4. Define and describe the terms “revile,” “persecute,” and “utter all kinds of evil against you falsely” in Matthew 5:11. How are you demonstrating rejoicing in these rather than rejecting them?