Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

If you have a bible open it up to the gospel of Matthew chapter 5. I have titled the message this morning Blessed are the Poor in Spirit. Pray with me…

So we are starting today arguably the most powerful sermon in all of the bible. Many refer to chapters 5-7 as the greatest sermon ever preached. Now even though you can read these few chapters in as little at 10 min. Most people believe that Jesus preached this sermon for hours, and we just get a small picture with big truths out of it.

And after praying about this, I believe I am going to spend many months just on these few chapters in fact there are going to be spending several weeks upcoming where I may preach on just 1 verse because of its significance in our own lives. I am convinced that if we take these words to heart apply them to our life we will walk away in the next few months never the same again.

Jesus sermon on the Mount truly is powerful, and man does it start with a bang. Just listen to the first few verses this morning.

Matthew 5:1–3 (ESV)

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When we finished the text last week we saw that many were coming to the Lord to hear him to be healed by him, and his fame was spreading across the nations.

In these first few verses you see this idea of being blessed. There is an idea that many believe the word blessed means happy because of its translation in the greek, and I believe it goes beyond just an emotion.

Reading this week I found some helpful things for us Now to be blessed means to have this deep inner joy of those who have long awaited the salvation promised by God and who now begin to experience its fulfillment. There is a here an now reality from the words that Jesus is teaching us in the text.

Another man said blessed is a positive judgement by God on the individual that means to be approved or to find approval. So when God blesses us he approves us.

One more man said. Blessedness is not simply a nice wish from God, it is a pronouncement of what we actually are approved. Blessedness indicates the smile of God or, as one man put it, the Applause of Heaven.

So what do I hope you see from this as our main idea from the verse blessed are those who are pour in Spirit for theirs in the kingdom of God well its this. take note of this look at your bullitins.

Those who understand that they can do nothing to save themselves but need God to save them, are poor in spirit, and the kingdom of God is theirs.

If you read the sermon on the mount which I will encourage you to do frequently as we study this together you will see that this truth is essential to the Christian life. This is why I believe the Lord has this as the first thing in this study. Because it makes us have the mindset God is God and I am not, and what he is teaching me is so valuable to me that it causes me to rethink my whole life. T

he main idea that I just told you is so essential to the Christian life. Because if we miss this and we miss this idea that we cannot save our selves that we need Jesus Christ to save us then we miss everything…

Martyn Lloyd jones who I will quote often in our study said. I would say that there is no more perfect statement of the doctrine of justification by faith only than this beatitude; Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs and theirs only is the kingdom of heaven.

Let me give you a few points to supplement that main idea.

You can do nothing on your own to become poor in spirit.

What do I mean by that? In a world that tells you have to better yourself you have to take these steps to achieve what you want what you desire to become good at your craft. The Christian life says you cannot climb a mountain to be saved. To be poor in Spirit. You have to become less.

Martyn Lloyd Jones says.. You will never find a greater antithesis to the worldly spirit and outlook than that which you find in this verse. What emphasis the world places on its belief in self-reliance, self-confidence and self-expression! Look at its literature. If you want to get on in this world, it says, believe in yourself.

When I was a new believer without any discipleship I was driven to this idea of self help- positive thinking would help me be more Christ. And while it is a good idea to know your value being made in the image of Christ and doing the right things those things alone will never make you poor in Spirit.

I said you cannot climb a mountain to become poor in spirit because there is no mountain to climb for the Christian. Pride tells us let us take into account what we can do to earn our place in the kingdom of God, but Jesus and his words says you cant. We cannot climb a latter or build a latter that says just do this and we can become poor in Spirit.

Remember what Paul in the book of Philippians said.. Phil 3:7-11

Philippians 3:7–11 ESV

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.

what things did he have?

Philippians 3:1–6 ESV

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 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.

He had all the worldly Accolades someone could desire to draw close to God. But he was not pour in spirit, until he was saved why? Because he was building a resume for himself instead of living out the resume God gives to those who belong to him.

See what many are trying to do at the end of the day is hand God this list of achievements and say look at me God look what I did for you in my strength. But you will never be saved that way. Paul called his greatness in the flesh dung, because he knew when looking at God truly face to face he could do nothing, and just knowing him was worth far greater than anything else.

One pastor that I deeply admire John Piper said.. What then is poverty of spirit?

It is a sense of powerlessness in ourselves.It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God. It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God. It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God. It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace. The reason I say it is a SENSE of powerlessness and SENSE of bankruptcy and a SENSE of uncleanness and a SENSE of unworthiness, is that, objectively speaking, everybody is poor in spirit. Everybody, whether they sense it or not, is powerless without God and bankrupt and helpless and unclean and unworthy before God. But not everybody is blessed.

Want to be poor in Spirit? Depend on nothing you do and you will be blessed.

2nd point this morning is this.

You must be poor in spirit to be saved.

This ties into closely with what I have already said.. Now I asked a dear friend of mine last week if he was poor in Spirit and he said Bankrupt. You have to have that answer if you want to be saved. Thats are idea today. If you want to have what God promises us his kingdom you must be bankrupt in the Spirit.

These verses are often quoted and rightfully so, but Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You cannot do anything in your own power to save yourself, I hope everyone in here knows that,

I read a story this week that tugged my heart. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, this truth can penetrate the most privileged of hearts, as it did to one of England's distinguished judges. The church he attended had three mission churches under its care. On the first Sunday of the new year all the members of the missions came to the big city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission churches, which were located in the slums of the city, were some outstanding cases of conversions thieves, burglars, and so on—but all knelt side by side at the Communion rail.

On one such occasion the pastor saw a former thief kneeling beside the aforementioned jurist, a judge of the High Court of England. After his release the thief had been converted and became a Christian worker. Yet, as the judge and the former thief knelt together, neither seemed to be aware of the other.

After the service, the judge happened to walk out with the pastor and said, "Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?"

The pastor replied, "Yes, but I didn't think that you did." The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, when the judge

declared, "What a miracle of grace."

The pastor nodded in agreement. "Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace." Then the judge asked, "But to whom do you refer?" The pastor responded, "Why, to the conversion of that convict."

"But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself," explained the judge.

Surprised, the pastor replied, "You were thinking of yourself? I don't understand."

"Yes," the judge went on. "It was natural for the burglar to respond to God's grace when he came out of jail. His life was nothing but a desperate history of crime, and when he saw the Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. He understood how much he needed that help.

*But I ... I was taught from earliest infancy to be a gentleman-that my word was my bond, that I was to say my prayers, go to church, receive Communion. I went up to Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar, and eventually ascended to judge. My friend, it was God's grace that drew miracle of his grace." me; it was God's grace

Some of us may have grown up in a Christian home, and failed to see that we to need that wonderful grace to be poor in spirit to be saved. The reality is we may have grown up around the best influences, but we need a relationship ourself to be saved, and changed. We all must be poor in Spirit no matter where you come from.

but I am going to argue with you as well that you cannot even grow in faith unless you are poor in the spirit.

3rd point this morning is this…

You must be poor in the spirit to grow spiritually.

So you can’t do anything to be poor in spirit you cant be saved unless you are poor in the spirit but you can’t even grow if you are not poor in the spirit.

This is what alot of in this room need to hear. To often we come to a place knowing we cannot save ourself knowing that we have to be poor in spirit to be saved, but forgetting that we have to poor in spirit to grow.

Reading and studying this week I was convicted that many of us try to outgrow this idea. We gain all this knowledge by being a believer for so many years, we gain all this wisdom and experience and for some odd reason we tend I have outgrown some things, but we never outgrow this verse. This is why Jesus put this verse here first. In fact if we outgrow this verse we might not be saved in the first place.

If you study the churches in Revelation you come across the church of lay·ow·duh·see·uh and it says this. In Revelation 3:17-18

Revelation 3:17–18 ESV

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

The church had lost this idea that they continued to need God all throughout their lives. Knowing God is not just a get out of hell free card being poor of spirit is the acknowledgement of hey not only do I need God when I am saved I need him everyday. We are so poor in spirit that we are like begars saying God help me through this so I can grow, so I can know you better.

The more you grow in your faith you should say, I need you more than ever. I talked about the mountain to climb that so many try to make their way to God, but the reality is when you grow in your faith you come to see that mountain is even bigger than you could have ever imagined. And not only that its a mountain you learn you cannot climb.

And blessed are those who are poor in Spirit in all ways.. Why because theirs in the kingdom of God.

Final point this morning is this…

Those who are poor is Spirit are Rich because the kingdom belongs to them.

The kingdom belongs to us now and later. The bible tells is in Eph 2:5-6

Ephesians 2:5–6 ESV

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

We don’t have to wait until we die to have the kingdom when we are saved he it to us now. One man said. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places now . We are subjects of Christ now. We are overcomers now. We are a kingdom of priests now. This means we are kings and queens and that we reign in life and exercise vast authority and power. It means that our poverty of spirit, our weakness, is a reservoir of authority and power. Our weakness is the occasion for his power, our inadequacy for his adequacy, our poverty for his riches, our in-articulation for his articulation, our tentativeness for his confidence. As kings and queens, we are also free. Pride makes slaves out of all whom it possesses; not so with poverty of spirit. We are free to be full of God, free to be all that he would have us to be, free to be ourselves. We reign now and for all eternity. The kingdom is ours ours alone!

As we close today I read many things this week and all of them referenced this poem.

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

Friend’s I hope I have emphasized to you enough today the importance of being poor in Spirit, not only to be saved, but to grow, but to live out that truth for yourself. Our whole Christian life depends on Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ went to the cross because we could not go. He was our sacrifice, because we needed one. We rose again because he conqored sin and death.

How do you respond if you don’t know Jesus today.

Luke 18:10–14 ESV

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Friends do you cling to Jesus Christ? if not here is what you can do you can repent meaning you acknowledge your sin, weep from it, turn from it and run to God trusting that he and he alone can save.

Let us be people who are poor in Spirit Let us pray.