Sat Aug 29

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the word blessed.

Reading

Matthew 5:1-12—Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake

Optional Reading

Psalm 9:1-20

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

Questions

(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)
  1. What does it take to be happy?
  2. How can we be happy if persecuted for Jesus’s sake?
  3. Who else in the Bible was persecuted for righteousness’ sake?

Notes

(See below for all authors.)

What does it take to be happy? Everyone wants to be happy, right? In fact, the United States Constitution talks about the right to pursue happiness. People often say, I just want to be happy.

But what really makes someone happy?

The world has its own answer. It says you need to feel good about yourself. You should be free from hard things, difficult work, and sad times. The world encourages people to be strong, confident, proud, and to do whatever brings them pleasure. It says happiness comes from having fun, getting what you want, and having other people take care of you.

But if the world's ideas about happiness are right, why do so many people still feel unhappy? Even though people spend so much time chasing happiness, many are still lonely, discouraged, and dissatisfied.

Jesus gives a very different answer. In verse 10 Jesus says that if people treat you badly because you love and follow Jesus, you are actually blessed. You are in a position to experience true happiness and joy. It’s hard to believe, but that’s exactly what Jesus says.

Swedish Method questions

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See the Sunday notes for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 119k, 51d

Prayer

  1. Ask God to bless you if you’re treated badly for Jesus’s sake.
  2. Pray for the reading and preaching of God’s Word tomorrow.
  3. Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.
Notes this week are drawn in part from commentaries by John Calvin, William Hendriksen, Kent Hughes, The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Theological Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments (TDOT, TDNT) and notes from the CSB Study Bible, and the Reformation Study Bible (RSB).
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