Upside Down Kingdom: Empty Hands

Introduction

After being followed by huge crowds for a long time, Jesus takes his disciples up a mountain. During this intimate and private time, Jesus shares what we call “The Sermon on the Mount.”

This sermon begins in Matthew 5:3 and ends at the end of chapter 7. He covers several issues including His purpose, prayer and fasting, giving to the poor, prayer and fasting, and other topics.

But before he gets into any of that Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount with 8 unique phrases. These 8 phrases invite his listeners into the reality of the Kingdom of God. Unlike the Upside Down Kingdom of this world, the Kingdom of God is inhabited by those who have empty hands, broken hearts, and hunger and thirst for the God who saves. Over the next 8 weeks we will dive into what it looks like to live as citizens of the Rightside up Kingdom.

Today we are looking at the first statement found in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The BIG IDEA is: In order to enter the Kingdom of God we must first recognize how much we need God.

1. The Best Thing For You is to Be Empty Handed

We live in a society where in order to achieve greatness you must have something great to offer. To get promoted you must have a strong work ethic, experience, and you must be driven. You have to outwork the other candidates in order to achieve a higher position. To get scholarships your essay, application, and sometimes interview, has to be better than the rest of the competition. Your grades must be higher. Your GPA must be better than the rest. Your references have to be greater. No matter what it is that you are trying to achieve, in order to achieve greatness, you must have something great to give.

Just as our society drives us to make sure we don’t come empty handed to the table of success, many religions say the same thing. You must live perfectly, or you will come back as a frog. You must spend 5 years as a "missionary" in order to be a full fledged member of the church. You must say so many Hail Mary's and do whatever you can to absolve your sins before you die otherwise you’ll spend time in purgatory until your sins are paid for. You must make sacrifices, You must do, do, do, do.

Every religion tells you that you must bring something to the table and before a god to be saved and achieve paradise.

But then Jesus totally flips the switch. He says that those who are poor in spirit, those with empty hands and have nothing to bring, are blessed and will receive the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is completely different from everything else we have come to believe within our culture. We think we must do something to achieve Heaven. But Jesus says be poor in spirit.

But what does this mean? What does it mean for us to be poor in spirit and empty handed?

It simply means to understand who you are before God, how utterly helpless you are without Him. In our pride we look up the mountain of God and think that we have something to offer God. We think if we have a good life, a good resume, that we spend all our time at church that we’re good. We’ve got something to bring. And yet, we fool ourselves. We foolishly think that we are good people and don’t need saving and we will make it to Heaven because our “good outways our bad.”

Or we think if we follow the rules laid out in Scripture we’re all set. But time and time again, Jesus is approached by people just like that, and time and time again he says the same thing: There is no one good, I search the heart, follow me, repent.

We read in Acts 2:37-38

Acts 2:37–38 ESV

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The people who heard Peter’s sermon were convicted and realized that they had nothing to bring to God. Their sacrifices meant nothing, their sins were too great. They realized they were empty handed, and they asked Peter what they must do to be saved. And Peter told them, repent and be baptized. Believe in the Lord Jesus and what he has done for you.

Again in Acts 16 Paul and Silas are miraculously set free from prison and the jailer, who was absolutely hopeless and at wits end, was about to take his own life. Paul calls out to him and tells him to stop because no one left. The jailer stops and says to them in verse 30, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

What did the jailer bring to the table? Nothing! He was empty handed and was at complete loss. He knew he needed a savior, he knew he didn’t have anything to give. He was desperate. And he believed in Jesus, repented of his sins, and was saved.

The best thing for you is to be empty handed. How do we realize we are empty handed? By looking to God. Think of His character and who he is. Read about his power and goodness and might. And then look at yourself.

John Calving writes, “Suppose we but once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and to ponder his nature, and how completely perfect are his righteousness, wisdom, and power- the straightedge to which we must be shaped. Then, what masquerading earlier as righteousness was pleasing in us will soon grow filthy in its consummate wickedness. What wonderfully impressed us under the name of wisdom will stink in its very foolishness. What wore the face of power will prove itself the most miserable weakness. That is, what is us seems perfection itself corresponds ill to the purity of God.”

In other words, the more you look to God, the more you realize how empty handed and utterly dependant you are of God. The more you look to God the more you realize how much sin you have. The more you see God the more you see how low and filthy and in need of a savior you are.

And Jesus says that these people, the poor in spirit, the empty handed, the ones that know how much they need a savior, are blessed.

2. The Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to the Empty Handed

Those who are poor in spirit and empty handed are blessed because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. Jesus brought with Him a kingdom that invades every aspect of our lives. His kingdom is completely opposite of what we have believed. Everywhere we go we are told to give it our best shot. Everywhere we look we see people grasping at straws to make it in life and become an influencer.

Society demands us to prove our worth. Society demands us to come to the table with a trailer full of credentials, experience, knowledge, talents, and everything else.

But as we just saw, Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who have nothing to bring but a dependence on Him. Where the kingdom of this world says “work yourself to death and do your best” The Kingdom of Heaven says “you have nothing to bring, come and rest.”

Those who think they can make it on their own work tirelessly to reach paradise and they will grow tired and weary.

Those who know they have nothing to bring to God can find peace and rest in the Kingdom of God. Jesus says in

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”\

If you think you must earn God’s love and acceptance into His kingdom, you will waste your life trying to achieve something you can’t gain. If you think you must get your life right before you can come to God you are missing the point.

You can’t earn God’s love. You can’t earn a place in His Kingdom and you will never get your life right enough for God. Your best is not good enough.

Jesus did not come for those who think they were good enough. He came for those who were desperately in need of help.

Mark 2:13–17 ESV

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Your only hope is knowing that you are utterly hopeless without Jesus. The Kingdom of God belongs to those people.

This is so completely backwards from what we are used to. No king wants people who are hopeless. But Jesus knows who we are, and he chose us anyways.

No nation wants freeloaders; yet Jesus says there’s nothing we could possibly provide and he freely gave us life.

No king looks for beggars; Jesus not only came specifically for beggars, but he dresses us in royal robes.

This is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is full of beggars who have been accepted not for any other reason than their dependence on God.

Conclusion

It is a glorious and amazing truth to realize that the King of Heaven offers us a place in His Kingdom, knowing full well that we are empty handed and have nothing to bring but a burden. It is a marvellous thing to be able to approach the King of Glory and not be turned away, but instead accepted as children of God.

Stop trying to earn a spot in Heaven. Stop trying to be good enough and rely on the finished work of Jesus. Give him your burdens and trust that his promises are true. You will not be turned away.