The Kingdom Manifesto - 1

The Kingdom Manifesto - 1

God Blesses the Spiritually Poor

Introduction

Philippians 1:27 - 27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

Christians, according to the Bible, hold a dual citizenship. Obviously one of those is citizenship in whatever country they live and/or were born. But “above” that, as the Bible says, is our citizenship in Heaven. What does that mean? When the United States has a formal station in a foreign country, they set up an embassy. That ground, no matter where it sits in the world, is American soil. American law supersedes the local law. Those who are at the embassy are no less American, and no less bound by American law than if they were standing in the White House. Though that embassy is surrounded, immersed in, a foreign culture, America holds true in that place.

In that embassy, to formally interact with that foreign nation, America sends an ambassador. Though that Ambassador lives in a foreign country, they are there, under American law, to represent America and its interests. To promote the American agenda. They have diplomatic immunity, living above the local law, because they are unto themselves, a representation of America and its laws.

This is the image the Bible uses to help us understand our relationship to the world around us. We are citizens of Heaven, though we live here. This is why 1 Peter tells us to live as “aliens and strangers” on the Earth. It is not our ultimate home. We live under the law of another Heavenly homeland. Though we live here, we don’t belong here. We are simply representing the laws and interests of our native land. We are, as 2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us, Christ’s ambassadors. We represent Him and His interests in the world.

What does that look like in a practical sense? How do we represent Christ in the world? How do we live out our superseding Heavenly citizenship? This is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. As one of the longest single bodies of teaching by Jesus, Matthew 5-7 are a comprehensive teaching on what it looks like to live as Christ’s ambassador in the world. And Jesus helpfully uses a particular kind of language that solidifies for us what all this means in our lives. He doesn’t use words that represent a democracy where the people have the power. He uses the language of a monarchy…the Kingdom of God.

Though we live in this world, those who place their faith in Christ live under the rule and reign of another King. We follow his laws. We live under his command.

Matthew 4:17 – 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:23 – 23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.

As Jesus has now set up that his Kingdom has arrived, he now sits down with his followers to help us all understand what it looks like to live under the rule and reign of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:1-2 - One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.

Douglas Hare notes the imagery of what is taking place. He writes, “He sits like a king on his throne, his disciples approach him like subjects in a royal court, and the king delivers his inaugural address, in which he lays out in considerable detail what life in his kingdom will be like.”[1]

The Sermon on the Mount has rightfully been called “the supreme jewel in the crown of Jesus’ teaching.”[2] Why? Because it is “The Kingdom Manifesto.” It defines and describes life in God’s Kingdom. And we are going to spend the next several months working our way through it step by step. And as Jesus begins his sermon, his introduction forces us to realize that his Kingdom is unlike any other Kingdom in the world. Called the Beatitudes, here is how he begins:

Matthew 5:3-12 – 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Notice the brackets…v. 3 and v. 10 bookend the introduction by saying the “Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” This is a description of the kind of people who live in his Kingdom. It’s an odd list, coming as a bit of a surprise, because these are not the qualities we would immediately think of, maybe because qualities like this are so rare in our world. Ray Ortlund writes, “We might find it easier to see how big a change it is to enter into Christ’s kingdom if we flip each of the Beatitudes to its opposite: Blessed are the entitled, for they get their way. Blessed are the carefree, for they are comfortable. Blessed are the pushy, for they win. Blessed are the self-righteous, for they need nothing. Blessed are the vengeful, for they will be feared. Blessed are those who don’t get caught, for they look good. Blessed are the argumentative, for they get in the last word. Blessed are the winners, for they get their way.”

God’s Kingdom is unlike any other Kingdom. As Mike said it last week, God’s Kingdom is upside-down. But for those of us who trust in Christ and follow him, God’s Kingdom is right-side-up.

For the next few minutes, let’s focus in on that first sentence. It really is perhaps the most foundational statement in the whole sermon. There is a reason this sentence is first.

Matthew 5:3 - 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Most translations put this as “blessed are the poor in spirit.” Let’s talk first about what ‘blessed’ means. Some put it as ‘happy’ or ‘favored.’ It would be best translated as “congratulations.” Congratulations to the spiritually poor, because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Why is this the case? Why are the spiritually poor to be congratulated? Why not the spiritually elite? Because God’s Kingdom is one of grace. No matter how good you are, or how good you think you might be, you simply are never good enough to get into God’s Kingdom.

Just so we are clear, this poverty is not referring to a material poverty, but a spiritual one. Hence the follow up statement - “and realize their need for him.” The Greek word used (ptochos) implies an extreme poverty, literally meaning “to crouch or cower.” It represents an extreme unworthiness before God. It is the acknowledgement that when I stand in God’s presence, it is not because I belong there. It is because he has allowed me to be there.

John Piper summarizes well the poor in spirit: “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.”[3]

This is the foundation of life in God’s kingdom. With these words, Jesus differentiates himself from every other religious leader in world history. In every religion, other than Christianity, there is a sense of the need to earn God’s favor. Jump through these hoops, be a better person, endless lists of do’s and don’ts.

Jesus begins by telling us that we can’t earn it. No way to make ourselves worthy to be in his kingdom. That our first step in being in his kingdom is realizing we have absolutely no business there.

In effect, Jesus is saying: “If you want to be blessed, you have to realize you are unblessable.”

God’s kingdom is one of grace - it is given, not earned. Our feeble attempts to earn God’s favor will not work. He is not impressed. Our only hope is in his graciousness.

Jesus illustrated what this looks like in one of the stories he told.

Luke 18:9-14 - 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There are two ways of life...you can live like you deserve God’s favor. As if he owes you something. But that only ends in alienation. Notice the small detail in v. 4 that this man stands alone. He is alienated from others because he believes himself to be better than them.

But this also alienates you from God. The bible says that God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble. Jesus said that only this tax collector went away right with God that day. Why? Because his prayer admitted a deep poverty before God. “I am unworthy to be in your presence. I did not get here because I earned it. It is all by your grace.”

TS - the fundamental difference is that the tax collector understood his identity before God. The Pharisee was so steeped in his pride that he was blind to his own situation. He is blind to his own blindness.

Jesus addressed an entire church like this.

Revelation 3:15-17 - 15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

In Christian circles it is talked about that we should not be lukewarm. This is the very definition of lukewarm. Thinking, believing as if we have it all together. When in reality, we are anything but. When we pretend we are not spiritually impoverished, we’re only fooling ourselves. Jesus sees right through it.

Jesus establishes his kingdom on this truth. “for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” The only ones in God’s kingdom are those who think much of Jesus, not those who think much of themselves. Those who trust in Jesus’ work for them on the cross, not in their own work.

You don’t stand before the King and pull out your resume.

-as great creative artist - I made the universe.

-as a gifted writer – I wrote the Bible

-time machine - I made time.

You come in humility, aware that you have nothing compared to him. This explains what Paul said in Philippians after listing his spiritual resume...

Philippians 3:7-8 -7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

You can’t be filled with God until you’re empty.

You can’t be made rich in faith until you realize your spiritual poverty.

You can’t be made somebody until you realize you’re a nobody.

You can’t be redeemed until you realize how desperately you need saved.

You can’t be set free until you understand you’re in bondage to sin and death.

This idea permeates the entire Sermon on the Mount...

-You are the light of the world, they are watching you...yeah, I haven’t been the best witness

-You must not murder (oh, I’m good) ...but calling someone an idiot is the same. Stink.

-You must not commit adultery (check!) ...but lusting is the same. Sigh.

-Be true to your word...yup, I’ve messed up there and didn’t come through on promises.

-Love your enemies, forgive others...I’m holding a few grudges.

-Be generous with your finances, trust God and give big...not always the easiest to do.

-Obey Jesus’ teaching, build your life on that firm foundation...certainly messed up there.

All culminating I believe with the centerpiece of the Sermon on the Mount...

Matthew 5:48 - 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Being part of God’s kingdom is realizing that he is perfect, and I am not. That he is everything. This strikes at the core of Christianity. This is why part of becoming a Christian is to confess Jesus as Lord...He is in charge, not me. Not a democracy where people have the power. The King is Sovereign over all things.

This truth of spiritual poverty has two responses in us:

1. DEMANDING

This whole idea is demanding because every inch of me wants to live in pride. To convince myself, others and God that I am a big deal. To frame up every conversation, to manipulate every opportunity...so that I am the center of attention. That way, I’ll get the deals. Relationships will be better, promotions, raises, all mine.

This is how the world works. It is all earned. Those who get promoted earn it. Those who get raises earn it. Even true in relationships...trust is earned. Respect is earned.

This is the core struggle of the faith. To wake daily and be reminded that I cannot earn anything from God. That I can’t be enough. Perhaps that is why the bible says that God’s mercies are new every morning.

Jesus said that if we don’t deny ourselves and follow him, we are not worthy of being in the kingdom. Why? Because to follow Jesus means that we acknowledge that he is everything...and every area of my life is to show that.

2. FREEING

I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not. I don’t have to pretend that I have it all together when I know that I don’t. I don’t have to try to impress you or God. I don’t have to compare myself with others (which results either in pride or despair). I just trust in Jesus and his finished work for me on the cross. This is why Jesus said...

Matthew 11:28 - 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Though it may be hard to get our minds around, this is by far the best way for Jesus to have started this sermon. We are glad this is life in his Kingdom. Here’s why: Jesus is going to make some demands of us in this Manifesto. Life in God’s Kingdom isn’t easy. We are to fully submit to God’s rule and reign. But here, before there are any demands, there is the Gospel.

We come to God, as unworthy sinners. We don’t deserve to live in His Kingdom. We deserve nothing good from him. Yet he invites us in. Without anything done on our part to earn that.

Colossians 1:12b-14 - He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Notice all the passive words…he enabled you (you didn’t enable yourself). He has rescued. You didn’t rescue yourself. He transferred us into his Kingdom. You didn’t pack up and move there. He purchased our freedom and forgave us. We didn’t do that. He did it all. That’s the Gospel. That’s spiritual poverty. That’s trusting in Jesus. That is God’s Kingdom. Without that, you are not in His Kingdom.

Conclusion

The old hymns used to speak of this often. In Rock of Ages…nothing in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling. And another one, far less known…

“It Passeth Knowledge, that Dear Love of Thine”

But tho’ I cannot sing, or tell, or know

The fullness of Thy love, while here below,

My empty vessel I may freely bring:

O Thou, who art of love the living spring,

My vessel fill.

I am an empty vessel—not one thought

Or look of love, I ever to Thee brought;

Yet I may come, and come again to Thee,

With this, the empty sinner’s only plea—

Thou lovest me.[4]

That is our hope. That is what we treasure. That is the Gospel upon which we stand.

COMMUNION

[1] Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1993), 35.

[2] Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 88.

[3] Danny Akin, Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019).

[4] James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 23.