Posts by Ken Fleeman
SOUND WORDS, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020
The Persecuted The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The eighth and final of these blessings is prescribed for “the persecuted.” Matthew 5:10 NKJV Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What form does persecution take and how may the godly endure it? Unlike the previous Beatitudes, Jesus goes on to elaborate. Matthew…
SOUND WORDS, September 6, 2020
The Peacemakers The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The seventh of these blessings is prescribed for “the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:9 NKJV Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. To be a peacemaker provides a pathway to a relationship with God. In what way are godly people to be peacemakers? To the Jew, peace offerings represented more…
SOUND WORDS, AUGUST 30, 2020
The Pure in Heart The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The sixth of these blessings is prescribed for “the pure in heart.” Matthew 5:8 NKJV Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. How does one remain pure in heart and in what way will the pure in heart see God? David recognized that only those pure in…
SOUND WORDS, AUGUST 23, 2020
The Merciful The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The fifth of these blessings is prescribed for “the merciful.” Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. What is mercy and why is it important to God? Moses recognized mercy as an integral part of God’s character. Mercy is the attribute of God that allows mankind to escape…
SOUND WORDS, AUGUST 16, 2020
Those Who Hunger and Thirst The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The fourth of these blessings is prescribed for “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Hunger and thirst are the most basic of human needs. Mankind instinctively seeks out food and water to…
SOUND WORDS, AUGUST 9, 2020
The Meek The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The third of these blessings is prescribed for “the meek”. Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. In the case of this beatitude, we have a better understanding of the attribute. However, the blessing is a bit obscure. Jesus quotes directly from Psalm 37:11, a psalm…
SOUND WORDS, AUGUST 2, 2020
Those Who Mourn The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The second of these blessings is prescribed for “those who mourn”. Matthew 5:4 (NKJV) 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Grief is a state none of us prefer to be in. Why are those who mourn blessed? An examination of the comfort found in Christ will reveal…
SOUND WORDS, JULY 26, 2020
The Poor in Spirit The Beatitudes are divine blessings pronounced on those of godly character. These attributes are required for those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. The first of these blessings is prescribed for the “poor in spirit”. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:3 NKJV) What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Poor means to be lacking, beggarly, destitute. We are familiar with poverty in the…