Beatitudes & Introduction

Today we are beginning a series called Blessed, walking week by week through the Beatitudes.

Before we look at the first Beatitude, I want to read all of them together, because these are not random sayings or disconnected pieces of advice. Jesus is painting a picture of life in His Kingdom. He is showing us what His people are becoming. But first, we need to set the scene.

Shalom. It’s what we had before the fall. Shalom is the “wholeness and the flourishing that come when everything is rightly ordered under God’s gracious rule.” Wholeness. Flourishing. Wellness. Delight. Happiness. Joy.

After each day in Genesis 1, God says it is good. But then on day 6 it is VERY good. God’s goodness and glory overflow and creation is made. It was pleasing to make us. He was bringing delight to us FOREVER. God makes us under-kings and gives us.....hands us the glory that He spoke into existence.

No taxes, no weeds, no thorns on roses

no poison ivy. no mosquitos.

no amber alerts. no hospitals. No pharmacies

No waiting on hold. no cellphones!

no court rooms, no churches

not dripping with sweat when working outside. can garden all day

no cavities. no headaches. no allergies. no glasses. no arthritis

no stepping on Legos, no paper straws

able to scratch a lion behind his ears. Bears like to snuggle like a family pet rather than devouring you. Pet a porcupine in any direction. Cats come when you call them. Skunks spray perfume.

Bananas don’t turn brown. Avocados exactly ripened. No drought. No floods. No tornados.

No jealousy. No gossip. No arguments.

Never losing your keys. You don’t need keys. Perfect memory. Perfect sleep. No mold. No rust. No need for batteries.

No fear. No wondering if God really loves you. God talks to you in person like you are His best friend.

And then the fall happens. Shalom is shattered. Complete contrast to life today. Maybe you felt it waking up this morning. You look on your social media feed and see disaster. Disease. Evil. Exact opposite. Horrible. WE are “flourishing” at making this place so ugly. Shalom is shattered. Now take that to the time of Jesus: Rome has conquered. Pure hell exists right outside your door. If you have a door. Taxes are sky high and you can’t trust your neighbor. Drought. Famine. Sorrow. Despair. Hell.

Ok....so now we go to the day of the Sermon on the Mount.

Sometimes we picture the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus quietly sitting on a rock with only His twelve disciples gathered around Him. But the end of Matthew chapter 4 gives us a much larger picture.

Matthew 4:23–25 “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”

“Great crowds were following him...”. Think about what that means in ancient Israel. Families that are filthy from walking through the desert. Maybe a wagon if lucky. Livestock to sustain them. Could there have been flocks of sheep or herds of goats?

This is more than just sitting on a rock on a Sunday afternoon with a small group of friends. These were not merely curious spectators. They were sick people, hurting people, oppressed people, desperate people, and people longing for hope. This was a MAJOR historical moment. This was a tide changing event. Satan is going to say, “That never happened”. “Jesus never did this.” He plants doubt everywhere to downplay this moment. This amazing day. We need to understand that and not downplay the situation here. Questions are starting to go out, “Could this be the Messiah?” “Is this our conquering king?”

Matthew and Luke both capture this amazing moment, and the Didache...early document written by the original Apostles themselves, a teaching document and a rulebook for starting the church, uses these Beatitudes as the defining principals to start the church.

Scholars believe they know the exact place where this sermon took place. Handed down knowledge, “This is where I saw Him give a sermon”, evaluation of the topology of the land. Capernaum is close by, the Sea of Galilea is the backdrop, and a mountain (hill) rises up out of the water. People have said that this area is very beautiful.

Then Jesus went up the mountain, sat down, and began to teach.

Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God. Remember, only Moses could go up the mountain. But something greater than Moses is here. In Jesus, God Himself came to His people. Jesus did not merely receive the words of the King—Jesus is the King, and He began to explain what life in His Kingdom looks like. These Beatitudes that we are about to read are FOR YOU. They are spoken TO YOU. Remember, God is outside of time. Jesus may have spoke these words on a specific day in linear time, but He is outside of it, and those words were captured into the glorious love story that is the Bible and preserved for you no matter how Satan tries to spin it and deceive, the truth is captured for us and God himself is speaking to you in these Beatitudes.

“Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit”

And the very first words He spoke, the VERY FIRST words in this sermon from THE CONQUERING KING were this:

Matthew 5:3–12 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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

“Blessed”. Makarioi - ma-KAH-ree-oy. Blessed are.....flourishing are. Happy. Congratulations. Commendable. Enviable. Fortunate.

What does “poor in spirit” mean?

It does not mean that God wants us to hate ourselves. It does not mean lacking personality, courage, intelligence, or strength. It does not mean pretending that we have no value.

You’re at the end of your rope

Spiritually empty

I’ve got nothing left in the tank

Have no where else to turn

Hit rock bottom

Can’t possibly get any lower or any worse

completely dependent, like a child

To be poor in spirit is to recognize that, before God, we bring nothing with which we can purchase, earn, or demand entrance into His Kingdom.

It is spiritual bankruptcy.

It is coming before God and saying:

“Father, I cannot save myself. I cannot make myself righteous. I cannot cleanse my own heart. I cannot overcome sin through my own strength. I need You.”

The poor in spirit do not come to God presenting their résumé. They come with empty hands.

That is why this is the first Beatitude. Until we recognize our need, we will not receive what Christ offers. A person who believes he is spiritually wealthy will never ask for mercy. A person who knows he is poor will cry out for the Savior.

And Jesus says something astonishing about that person:

“Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Not merely, “Someday, they might enter.”

Theirs IS the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Heaven is upside down compared with the kingdoms of this world.

The world says, “Become powerful. Become independent. Prove yourself. Build your own kingdom.”

Jesus says, “Become like a child. Depend upon your Father. (THIS GOES RIGHT BACK TO THE GARDEN AND THE TREE OF GOOD & EVIL) Surrender your claim to the throne. Receive the Kingdom as a gift.”

A child does not survive by pretending to be self-sufficient. A child trusts that his father will provide what he cannot provide for himself.

That is the beginning of Kingdom life.

We come to Jesus poor, and He gives us riches that cannot be earned. We come guilty, and He gives us righteousness. We come restless, and He gives us peace. We come spiritually dead, and He gives us eternal life.

This does not mean life suddenly becomes easy. The Kingdom is already present, but we are still waiting for its complete fulfillment. Yet even now, under the rule of Christ, we begin to experience true shalom—peace with God, wholeness, belonging, purpose, and hope beyond our circumstances.

The first step into the Kingdom is not achievement.

It is surrender.

It is saying:

“Jesus, I have nothing to offer that could save me. But I believe You are the King. I trust what You have done for me. I place my life in Your hands.”

Blessed are the poor in spirit—not because poverty itself is wonderful, but because empty hands are finally able to receive the Kingdom.

Isaiah 61:1–2 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;”

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

“The Beatitudes are not an entrance exam we must pass; they are a portrait of the people Christ is saving and transforming.”

Discussion

When you hear “poor in spirit,” what does that phrase initially sound like to you?

Why is admitting our spiritual need so difficult?

Where are you most tempted to rely upon yourself instead of depending upon God?

What might it look like today to come before Jesus with empty hands?

“The Beatitudes are not an entrance exam we must pass; they are a portrait of the people Christ is saving and transforming.”