Sermon Tone Analysis

For the next several weeks we will be talking about how to be blessed.

There are several blessings that are promised in scripture, but probably among the most famous are those promised in the sermon on the mount.

So, this week we will begin with the first one

Let’s start by defining what the poor in spirit is...

The poor in spirit are the ones who recognize that they are, as one commentator put it “spiritually bankrupt.”

These are those who realize that they are unable to come to God on their own...

Their spiritual coffers are empty...

It is by nothing that they can do to be saved...

I like what Matthew Henry writes about it..

They are humble and lowly in their own eyes.

They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer

The poor in spirit are the ones who long for Jesus, but know they have nothing to offer....

On the contrary, the rich in spirit would be the ones who think they have it all figured out...

They are the ones who think they deserve salvation by something that they have done...

Similar to these people would be the ones who say things like “God wouldn’t send me to hell because I am a good person”

Also in this crowd are the ones who think they have everything figured out, but seem to miss one thing, Jesus!

It’s possible the legalists are in the camp as well…maybe they started out with the right intentions, but it has turned into going through the motions as if that honors God....

The poor in spirit are those who are spiritually lost and broken…and who recognize it…it’s those who repent and turn towards Jesus with nothing...

Another commentary puts it this way:

The beginning of repentance is the recognition of one’s spiritual bankruptcy—one’s inability to become righteous on one’s own.

spiritual bankruptcy.....the fact that we can’t make our self righteous...

A picture of the man with leprosy in

the poor in spirit come to Jesus understanding that is the one who can make clean.... it is not of our own doing…all we can do is come before Him begging Him on our knees saying “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean...”

the man with leprosy had nothing…he was an outcast, probably family-less, and poor.....

Unlike the pharisees who were quite the opposite…they had plenty to offer Jesus.

All the money they would need and the dedication that they had given their life to....

Yet, that is what Jesus rejected..

Jesus addresses this issue with Nicodemus, a pharisee...

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus moves us from the physical world into the spiritual one...

Nicodemus had pretty much whatever he would need in the physical world, but Jesus tells him that he must be born again...

It is no longer about all that they had worked to do…they had the knowledge and the dedication…but one thing they lacked, was the spirit...

Jesus was interested in what he had to offer....

He was offering him something that he didn’t have

He must be born of water and of the Spirit.

To be poor in the spirit means to be born of the spirit and born again...

To be bankrupt in the spiritual world so that we may focus completely on Jesus...

I think the lyrics of “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” speaks to this

“O soul are you weary and troubled

No light in the darkness you see

There's light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace”

Let’s talk about some obstacles to being poor in spirit and then end with some benefits.

The first obstacle to being poor in spirit is:

1. Arrogance

The definition of arrogance according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is

offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.

having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.

It would be impossible to be arrogant and still poor in spirit

They are literally opposites

You can’t have a complete dependance on God to fill your spiritual bank and think that you are superior....

We are probably all familiar with

To be poor in Spirit means to lay ourselves down before Jesus...

To deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him!

2. Legalism

legalism is thinking that you are saved by your good works

Jesus talks about this in

The Pharisee was so proud of himself for everything that he had done...

he thought that he could “buy” his way into heaven through what he had gave and did...

But Jesus clearly warns that is the one who stands who was too ashamed to look to heaven and recognized that he is a sinner is the one who would be made right with God

My personal opinion is that there are two things that are causing the decline of the church in America.

The first is apathy.....many people just don’t care what the Bible has to say....

The second is legalism....where people think they can attend church once or twice a week, go through the motions and they are good..

When really, the call to true worship, is sacrifice...

The call to worship is to be a living sacrifice...

One that continually lays down their life...

Holy, or separate, and pleasing to God..

Paul doesn’t say true worship is attending church twice a week, fasting regularly, giving 10% of your income to your church and millions more to the poor....

nah, he says to continually lay your life down…be separate and holy which pleases God...

Now, this doesn’t mean not to do those things…they are part of being a living sacrifice…it just means our focus is on being a sacrifice, and not raising our self up...

Coming to Jesus as a poor sinner and leaving as a rich child; being perfected through the power of the holy spirit in the presence of God as our judge, and Christ as our intercessor!

The first obstacle is arrogance, the second is legalism, and the third is

3. Self-righteousness

Self-righteousness is the fallacy of thinking that we can be righteous in and of ourselves...

Or thinking, that we can make ourselves “right”

The problem here is we are the ones in charge

we are the ones who define righteous...

by this standard, we will never be perfect in the eyes of God…we will always fall short...

And, everyone else will fall short as well....

If we come to God as righteous in our own eyes, we don’t need Him!

Tony Evans says “God’s righteousness is the standard in which He will use to judge the world”

This is the standard of righteousness that we must be to be poor in spirit

Before we wrap up really quickly, let’s look at some benefits of being poor in spirit

Reliance on God

Relying on God is not a bad thing....it’s the opposite, it’s a good thing!

God is the one who is perfect in everything, including knowledge and power...

He is creator and our sustainer!

He is the one in our corner, our life coach...

He is the one who sets the standard and the hone who helps us reach it!

He gives us everything that we need to be in right relationship with Him...

He became flesh to show us how to live…to show us what love is...

He sends His Spirit to dwell in us!

We we rely on Him, we keep our focus on who He is and what He does for us!

The second benefit is...

2. Pressure Relief

When we come before God knowing that we are not perfect, that there is nothing that we can do to achieve righteousness on our own, and that we are sinners, He doesn’t leave us that way…we turn from our sin towards Him, we believe in Him then

He takes our sin, forgives it and casts it away from us