Magnifying Humility Matthew 5:1-3

Introduction

  The Internet has some debate about if the song The 12 Days of Christmas is meant to be a teaching tool for children regarding Bible knowledge. If it is a form of Christian primer, then the “8 maids a milking” is a reference to the Beatitudes.

The words we are going to study for the next 2 months weeks are not keys to make you enjoy life. These are not simple fortune cookie sayings. These 8 when taken as a whole reveal a progression that describes the type of life that God chooses to bless.

In full honesty, I want to publicly declare that many of my thoughts in this series have been shaped by the book “Momentum” by Colin Smith. The book came out of a sermon series he shared with our sister congregation in Arlington Heights, IL, so when (or if) I say something that piques your curiosity, I heartily endorse this book that you can order from any online bookstore.

The Collection of Eight

Calls us to a deeper life

Jesus describes the life that is blessed by God. Who would not want to listen to Jesus as he shows us the path on which blessing is to be found? Everyone wants to be blessed. These words of Jesus can shape our perspective this week and effect our eternal reward.

The opposite of blessed is cursed. Nobody wants that. But here the Son of God speaks about a life that is blessed and people who are blessed. I want to take a deep look at myself and be sure that I am pursuing a life that is blessed.”

If you are a follower of Christ, you probably know what it is to feel stuck in your Christian life. You want to grow and to become more like Christ, but somehow you get stuck. The Beatitudes show us how to put our lives in a low gear and begin to move forward. I’m sure that somewhere in the middle of the collection you will realize you have picked up some momentum and somewhere around 6 or 7 you will sense a velocity that makes it easier to move forward than to retreat.

Reveals the blessed life.

Jesus describes the life that is blessed by God. That begs the question: Is he describing me? Am I displaying more of the marks of a person who is blessed? What matters is not that I say, “I’m too blessed to be stressed,” but that God sees my life as one that He is unashamed to pour out a blessing.

Fish are known by their distinguishing marks. That is how you can tell one breed from another. I don’t know a bass from a crappie, but I can tell a catfish from a perch. If three fish were placed in front of me I could probably guess the catfish from the long whiskers, but would have no clue how to distinguish a bass from a perch.

The point of this story is that while I don’t know the distinguishing marks of fish breeds, there are qualities that define that breed and you can be sure the game warden knows what those qualities are!

The Ring Swing

An image that I want you to have in mind today and throughout this series comes from the television competition, American Gladiator. In this obstacle the competitor must cross over a body of water using a combination of rings and ropes. Successfully crossing the obstacle (and I speak from observation, not experience) requires the athlete to use each ring and to propel his or her body from one ring to the next.

The momentum of your swing on the first ring makes it possible for you to reach the second. The momentum of your swing on the second ring makes it possible for you to reach the third, and so on. Without your momentum from the previous swing, the next ring would always be beyond your reach.

The Beatitudes are like a series of rings. You move to the next one with a velocity that you have gained from the last. This mental picture of sequential rings revolutionized my understanding of these 8 blessings.

Someone says, “Pastor, I can’t forgive. I want to, but I just can’t get there.” How do I learn to forgive?

Another person says, “Pastor, there is so much impurity in my heart. I hate it. I want to get rid of it, but I don’t know how.” How do exchange this filth for purity?

How do you get to the fifth or sixth Beatitude? You start from the beginning. Everyone can do this, because the first ring is to recognize that you don’t have what it takes: Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Can you imagine how sunk we would all be if the first Beatitude was “Blessed are the pure in heart?” We’d all say, “I can’t do it.” Blessing begins when you realize that you don’t have what it takes. You can reach that ring today. That’s me!

Swing on that first ring and you will soon find that repentance comes within your reach. You will find that you begin to hate what you used to love and despise what you used to choose.

As you mourn over your sin, seeing its effects in your life and on the lives of others around you, you will begin to hate the self-will that says, “God may not want this, but it’s what I want, so I’m going to do it anyway.”

And, as you hate that self-will, you will find the meekness that submits to God’s will for your life coming within your grasp. This is how the Holy Spirit works in the sanctification of a Christian believer.

Don’t skip rings

If a gladiator tries to leap from the platform to the 3rd or 4th ring, he’ll probably end up in the pool. That’s a good picture of something that often happens in the Christian life. Suppose you’ve been deeply hurt by someone or something and you say “I can’t forgive.” You can’t reach the mercy of #5 if you skip the first 4.

There’s only one thing to do, you have to go back to the place of saying, “Lord, I do not have what it takes to forgive. I do not have what it takes to deal with the impurity I find in my heart.” You swing on the first ring of your own inability, and that momentum will move you forward.

This is of huge importance. How can I have purity of heart? How can I forgive the person who has hurt me? How can I become a person who brings peace instead of turmoil? You cannot start from where you are. You have to start further back.

This is not something that you do just once. This is how you live the Christian life every day. Every day you set out saying, “I want purity of heart. I want to be merciful. I want to bring peace where there is trouble. And Lord, I have to say to you today, I don’t have what it takes to do this. My own sins are too many, so Lord, help me. Help me to pursue your purposes for me.”

The First Ring (Matthew 5:3)

Poverty of Spirit is Not False Humility

Poor in spirit is the first mark of a person who genuinely walks with God. You may be a multi-talented superstar in sports, or successful in business. You may be a mega-mother, a brilliant musician, a technical guru, or a political genius. But if you have truly met with God, you will know that before Him you have nothing to offer.

That’s what one of the most talented people who ever lived before the time of Jesus discovered. He was a preacher who was known and no doubt celebrated for his marvelous ministry – the silver-tongued prophet! If he was around today, people would travel to conferences to hear him speak. Millions would follow his thoughts on Twitter and his titles would top the bestsellers lists. Here is the testimony of this gifted and godly preacher:

Isaiah 6:1–5 ESV:2016

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple...And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips...”

If Isaiah the prophet is lost, what does that mean for the rest of us? You see what Isaiah is saying: “The world sees my gifts and my talents, but before this sovereign, holy, awesome God, I have nothing to offer.”

Poverty of Spirit Prompts Current Blessing

1. Notice the verb tense in this blessing - it is present while all the rest are connected with the future (shall be).

2. What do you think about when you consider Heaven? Do you think of golden streets and gates of jewels? Do you think of reunion with loved ones? Do you think of absolute peace and health. I plan to bow down before the throne in the center of Heaven where I will adore the one who loved me and gave Himself for me!

Isaiah 57:15 ESV:2016

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

3. In this way the poor of Spirit can currently experience a taste of Heaven; the comforting presence of God Himself.

Transition: Here are 4 ways that a poor spirit can bless you this week…

Poverty of Spirit Transforms in 4 ways

1. God Owes me Nothing

It is easy for us to slip into the mindset that God owes me health, wealth and happiness. Especially those of us who have been raised in the west can confuse the will of God with the American dream. The inalienable rights granted by our creator (namely life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness) have been adjusted to include education, healthcare and a government-provided cell phone.

The one who is poor in spirit has adjusted expectations so that he realizes God has not promised, nor is obligated to provide, a life free from suffering. Some of life’s sweetest lessons are learned in times of affliction and the people around you have the scars to prove it. When I recognize that I am entitled to nothing, then I am more likely to recognize a blessing as coming from God.

2. God Welcomes My Requests

The people who are proud of their possessions find it hard to ask for help, but those who are bankrupt before God have a rich and significant prayer life. Luke 18 records an exchange between 2 men. One proudly proclaimed, “Lord, I thank you that I am not like others...” The other was unashamed to cry out, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus said that only one of these went home blessed.

3. Poverty Opens My Hands

Some people’s arms are so full of their possessions or trophies from their accomplishments that there is no room for anything else.

Thomas Watson, a puritan preacher from the 17th century wrote, “You can’t receive gold if your hand is full of pebbles.” The person who  is full of the sinful pride of life has no capacity to receive the blessing that God wishes to give.

4. Poverty Glories in the Cross

This is a huge difference between a hypocrite and a genuine Christ-follower. The hypocrite proudly speaks of his or her own accomplishments, while the true Christian desires to make much of Christ.

The same prophet Isaiah whom I am using as an illustration of poor in spirit also wrote Isaiah 53:5 (ESV:2016) - “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

TRANSITION: It is not difficult to see how poverty before God points to Christ.

Conclusion:

Jesus: Our Prime Example

Looking at Jesus will give you a fresh vision of what these 8 look like when they are lived out.

See him as he leaves the riches of heaven, embraces our poverty and humbles himself, even to death on a cross.

See him as he mourns over the sins of Jerusalem. He has no sins of his own to mourn but the Scripture tells us that he wept over the sins of the people because they were harassed and without a shepherd.

See him in the Garden of Gethsemane as he meekly submits himself to the will of the Father, even when it means an incalculable cost. In great anguish He cries out, “Father, not my will but yours be done.” See him fulfill all righteousness and lay down that righteous life as a sacrifice for others.

See him drawing near to you today in his awesome purity, and yet with grace, mercy and forgiveness to bring you peace with God.

Aren’t you glad that “Blessed are the pure in heart” is not the first Beatitude? Thank God the place to begin is not with purity of heart, or with becoming a forgiving person, but with realizing that I do not have what it takes.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. All of us can start there. You can get on that ring—recognizing our great need, coming to this Savior. You can do that today. You can do that every day.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Poor does not mean that you give away all your possessions. Poor in spirit means that you realize what you lack. You know that you don’t have what it takes. But the Kingdom of heaven is where God provides all that we need.

Light for my Path

The path to the blessed life does not include bootstraps!

Lamps for my Steps

Head – Before we can count our blessings, we must admit our shortcomings. It starts with honest evaluation.

Heart – Humility is a matter of the heart. Those who find the kingdom of heaven admit that they are not too good to accept charity.

Hands – Make a list of 3 items that you value and admit to God that they are blessings from Him, and not your own effort.

Response Song #324............................... “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”

Benediction: Philippians 4:7 (ESV) — And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

© Colin S. Smith. Website: UnlockingtheBible.org