The Poor in Spirit

“Blessed are the POOR in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:3

Prayer Time:

What are you thankful for?

What is stressing you?

Prayer for Revival….

Pray for God to make his will clear….

Be Attitudes:

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

are:

Those spiritually impoverished—theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Those who mourn—they shall be comforted

The meek—they shall inherit the earth

Those hungering and thirsting for righteousness—they shall be filled

The merciful—they shall obtain mercy

The pure in heart—they shall see God

Peacemakers—they shall be called children of God

Those persecuted for righteousness—theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Those reviled and persecuted falsely for Christ’s sake—they should rejoice, for their reward in heaven is great (Matt 5:3–12)

“The Bible presents many paradoxes that Challenge our human way of thinking…”

“We think of the poor as possessing very little, yet Jesus said the riches of heaven belong to the poor in spirit…”

Paradox= a person or thing having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases,…a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true….(Webesters Dictionary)

???Can you think of any paradoxes in the Bible that Challenge our human way of thinking???

To live, you must die.

Matthew 16:25 — “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Galatians 2:20 — “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Human thinking: Preserve yourself.

Kingdom thinking: Surrender yourself.

To gain your life, you must lose it.

Matthew 10:39 — “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Paradox: What looks like loss for Christ becomes ultimate gain.

To receive, you must give.

Luke 6:38 — “Give, and it will be given to you.”

Proverbs 11:24–25 — “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer.”

Acts 20:35 — “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Human thinking: Hold onto what you have.

Kingdom thinking: Open your hands.

To become rich, become poor.

2 Corinthians 6:10 — “As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”

James 2:5 — God has chosen “those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith.”

Paradox: You can possess very little and yet possess everything that truly matters.

To become strong, recognize your weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 — “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Human thinking: Hide your weakness.

Kingdom thinking: Your weakness creates room for Christ's strength.

To become wise, become a fool.

1 Corinthians 3:18 — “If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”

1 Corinthians 1:25 — “The foolishness of God is wiser than men.”

Paradox: God's wisdom often looks foolish to the world.

To become great, become a servant.

Matthew 20:26–27 — “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

Mark 9:35 — “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Human thinking: Great people are served.

Kingdom thinking: Great people serve.

To become first, become last.

Matthew 20:16 — “The last will be first, and the first last.”

Mark 10:31 — “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Paradox: God's scoreboard is very different from ours.

To be exalted, humble yourself.

Matthew 23:12 — “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

James 4:10 — “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

1 Peter 5:6 — “Humble yourselves…so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”

Human thinking: Promote yourself.

Kingdom thinking: Humble yourself and let God do the lifting.

To conquer, surrender.

Romans 12:1 — “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”

James 4:7 — “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Paradox: Spiritual victory begins with surrender—not to the enemy, but to God.

To find freedom, become a servant.

Romans 6:18 — “Having been set free from sin, [you] have become slaves of righteousness.”

Romans 6:22 — “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God…”

Human thinking: Freedom means serving no one.

Kingdom thinking: True freedom is found in belonging completely to God.

To rest, take Christ's yoke upon you.

Matthew 11:28–30 — “I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you…”

Paradox: Jesus offers rest and then gives us a yoke.

Rest is not found in having no burden, but in carrying the right burden with Christ.

To overcome your enemies, love them.

Matthew 5:44 — “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Romans 12:20–21 — “If your enemy is hungry, feed him…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Human thinking: Defeat your enemies by hurting them.

Kingdom thinking: Overcome evil with good.

To lead, serve.

John 13:13–15 — Jesus, their “Lord and Teacher,” washed the disciples' feet.

Paradox: The highest person in the room took the lowest position in the room.

To see, admit that you are blind.

John 9:39–41 — Jesus contrasts those who recognize their blindness with those who claim to see.

Paradox: Those convinced they can see may remain spiritually blind, while those who recognize their blindness can receive sight.

To become full, first recognize that you are empty.

Matthew 5:6 — “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Paradox: Spiritual satisfaction begins with spiritual hunger.

To receive mercy, recognize your spiritual poverty.

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

Luke 18:13–14 — The tax collector who cried, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” went home justified.

Human thinking: Prove your worthiness.

Kingdom thinking: Admit your need.

To truly know, recognize how little you know.

1 Corinthians 8:2 — “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.”

Paradox: Spiritual maturity produces humility rather than intellectual pride.

God uses foolish things to shame the wise.

1 Corinthians 1:27 — “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.”

Paradox: God deliberately works through people and methods the world would overlook.

God uses weak things to defeat strong things.

1 Corinthians 1:27 — “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

Judges 7:2 — God reduced Gideon's army so Israel could not boast.

Human thinking: More strength means greater victory.

God's thinking: Sometimes He removes strength so His power becomes unmistakable.

The way up is down.

Philippians 2:5–11 — Christ humbled Himself, became obedient unto death, “Therefore God has highly exalted him.”

Pattern: Humiliation → obedience → exaltation.

This may be one of the greatest kingdom paradoxes in Scripture.

Death produces life.

John 12:24 — “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Paradox: The seed must disappear beneath the ground before multiplication occurs.

Brokenness can be better than strength.

Psalm 51:17 — “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Psalm 34:18 — “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted.”

Human thinking: Broken things are useless.

God's thinking: Broken people can become especially useful in His hands.

Sorrow can produce joy.

John 16:20 — “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

2 Corinthians 6:10 — “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”

Paradox: Biblical joy does not require the absence of sorrow.

Trials can be counted as joy.

James 1:2–4 — “Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds.”

Romans 5:3–4 — “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.”

Human thinking: Trials destroy us.

Kingdom thinking: God can use trials to develop us.

Losing earthly things can become gain.

Philippians 3:7–8 — “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

Paradox: Paul reevaluated his entire profit-and-loss statement after meeting Christ.

Contentment comes independently of circumstances.

Philippians 4:11–13 — Paul learned contentment “in any and every circumstance.”

Human thinking: Change my circumstances and I will be content.

Kingdom thinking: Christ changes me so I can be content in my circumstances.

The unseen is more lasting than the seen.

2 Corinthians 4:18 — “The things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Paradox: What appears most real to us is temporary; what we cannot see is eternal.

Faith means walking without seeing.

2 Corinthians 5:7 — “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

Hebrews 11:1 — Faith is “the conviction of things not seen.”

Human thinking: Seeing is believing.

Biblical faith: Sometimes believing comes before seeing.

Peace can exist in the middle of trouble.

John 16:33 — “In me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.”

Philippians 4:6–7 — God's peace guards believers even in anxiety-producing circumstances.

Paradox: Biblical peace is not necessarily the absence of a storm.

God's power is often displayed through human impossibility.

2 Corinthians 4:7 — “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Paradox: God puts extraordinary treasure in ordinary containers.

You can have nothing and yet possess everything.

2 Corinthians 6:10 — “As having nothing, yet possessing everything.”

This beautifully summarizes the Christian paradox: a believer can lose everything the world values and still possess Christ.

Christ's cross turns apparent defeat into victory.

Colossians 2:14–15 — Through the cross Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 — The cross appears foolish to the world but is “the power of God.”

Human perspective: The crucifixion looked like Christ's defeat.

Divine perspective: It was the means of His victory.

God's grace is sufficient when our strength is insufficient.

2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paradox: God sometimes does not remove the weakness because He intends to reveal His strength through it.

The greatest example of all: the King wins through a cross.

Philippians 2:8–11

Revelation 5:5–6 — John is told to behold the conquering Lion, but when he looks he sees a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.

The Lion conquers as the Lamb.

The King triumphs through sacrifice.

Life comes through death.

Victory comes through apparent defeat.

“Self- Reliance robs us of God’s good gifts….”

“Jesus insisted that in order to follow Him we must deny self….”

Luke 9:23–24 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

“As long as we rely on our own resources, we will never place our trust in Him….”

“As we acknowledge the poverty of our souls, we realize how desperately we need a Savior….”

“Jesus declared: “REPENT! For the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). God has so much to give the one who recognizes his need and will call upon Jesus!”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

“Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

“He had just encountered the rich ruler, who valued his possessions so much that he could not give them up to follow Jesus…”

Luke 18:18–24 “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”

“Jesus later encountered Zaccheus, a wealthy, notorious sinner …

Luke 19:1–10 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

“Despite Zaccheus’s material wealth, he RECOGNIZED his spiritual poverty and FOUND Salvation.”

“Jesus taught the disciples that true wealth is found in a relationship with God.”

“Those who realize their inherent spiritual poverty apart from God will trust in Him, and he will enrich their lives immeasurably.”

“Do not allow your ….

resources

wisdom

talent

or Abilities

to prevent you from trusting the Person who can bring you abundant life….”