Kingdom of Heaven Economy: Poor in Spirit

Introduce Economy

Economy - the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services

Simply put “inter-related use of resources”

We all live inside of the US economy

Recession - a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP (gross domestic product - measures value of final goods and products) in two successive quarters

Economic boom/upswing - sudden improvement and growth in the GDP of an economy

Ultimately, the ebb and flow of the economy is normal and healthy for the country. Economists study, understand, and predict the future of the economy based on past data. Matthew 5:3-12 offers us a blueprint for studying, understanding, and predicting what will happen in the Kingdom of Heaven’s Economy. The “Kingdom of Heaven” in verses 3 and 10 acts as what’s called an inclusio or “book ends” for the list of beatitudes so we know it is the focus of the list.

Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven is the clear focus of Matthew’s Gospel as any good Jew would have it. More importantly, the Kingdom of Heaven is one of the most talked about topics of Jesus.

Kingdom of Heaven is not a spatial kingdom

Acts 1:6 “6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Kingdom of Heaven is a dominion where Jesus’ reign and rule are experienced. Heart allegiance is required and citizenship identification is not enough.

Acts 1:7-8 “7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Matt 7:21-23 “21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

The Kingdom of Heaven is entered through by attaining righteousness. We know and have studied that righteousness is only found in Jesus whereas attempting to achieve it is a wasted effort.

Kingdom of Heaven Economy

The Beatitudes give us a look into the economy of the Kingdom of Heaven. By these parameters everything operates in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Beatitude”

blessed, approved, accepted, recognized

NOT happy, successful, rich

There is no greater blessedness than operating in God’s economy

1. Matthew 5:3 “3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor in spirit IS NOT

Material poverty

Job is a great example of a wealthy godly man.

In OT times the phrase “poor of the Lord” was developed because of the economic distress of God’s people. However, this was not by choice but because of oppression.

Without spirit

Man was not created physically then given a soul but when God breathed life into Adam he became an entire being with a soul. This means that all people are involved with the Kingdom in some capacity. No one is isolated by not being religious or Christian.

Gen 2:7 “7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Poor-spirited

We should not conclude that living as a monk is the answer. God calls us to do great things filled with passion. There are many examples of passionate, enthusiastic heroes of our faith.

“David was a man who entered vigorously into the affairs of his day. He forged a nation out of diverse and mutually jealous tribes, and he united them successfully enough to be able to drive off all the surrounding nations that desired to conquer Israel. David was not poor-spirited! And yet, he epitomized, perhaps far more than any other character in history, what Jesus meant when he said that his followers were to be poor in spirit before God.” - James M. Boice, The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary

Self-hatred

We are created in God’s image for a higher calling other than ourselves. To hate ourselves would be to hate the Creator, a high offense to God.

Poor in spirit IS

Spiritual bankruptcy

We have nothing to offer God in and of ourselves in his economy.

Isa 64:6 “6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Phil 3:3-11 “3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Self-acknowledged weakness

A conscious confession of total need and depravity

Our human nature tells us that self-sufficiency is the end goal. Children begin to take on an “I can do it myself” attitude when we all know they certainly cannot do it themselves.

Illustrate with Thomas feeding himself, coloring the pumpkin, or reading

In the economy the Kingdom of Heaven our spirit is lowly, needy, and desperate. We have much value to God but no worth to offer him. Yet the Bible tells us that he sees our value in the midst of our unworthiness. He sees us in our helpless state and out of his overflowing love offers us salvation from the situation we have sinned ourselves into.

Romans 5:1-11 “1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”