Beatitude #1: Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit Series

SERMON SERIES: THE BEATITUDES

SERMON #2: THE 1ST BEATITUDE:

"BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT"

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:

MATTHEW 5:3

"BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIR’S IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN."

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INTRODUCTION:

JESUS BEGAN HIS SERMON ON THE MOUNT BY REFERRING TO THE NEW LIFESTYLE OF THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IN THE ERA OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, PEOPLE LIVED UNDER THE RULES OF THE LAW AND IT WAS THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER OF THE LAW THAT LIVED WITHIN THEM. HOWEVER, UNDER THIS NEW WAY OF GRACE, JESUS COMES AND HE LIVES WITHIN THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR TRUST IN HIM. THIS SERMON BEGINS WITH "THE ATTITUDE OF JESUS" AND IT IS EXHIBITED IN HIS BELIEVERS. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ATTITUDE IT IS! YOU WILL DISCOVER AS YOU STUDY THESE BEATITUDES ONE BY ONE, THAT THEY ARE COMPLETELY CONTRARY TO THE ATTITUDE OF THE WORLD THEN AND TODAY. CHRISTIANS POSSESS AND EXHIBIT A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE! IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA AS YOU TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THESE SPIRITUAL ATTIUDES, TO ASK YOURSELF, "DOES THIS ATTITUDE LIVE WITHIN ME?" "IS THIS WHAT OTHERS SEE AND FEEL WHEN THEY ARE AROUND ME?" "IS JESUS SEEN IN ME?"

THE 1ST PRINCIPLE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT IS THIS: THERE IS A BRAND NEW LIFESTYLE GIVEN TO THE BELIEVER, THAT GOD PROMISES WILL BRING ABOUT BLESSEDNESS AND TRUE HAPPINESS;AND IT IS PRESENT IN THIS LIFE AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY. HOWEVER, THIS HAPPINESS CANNOT BE ATTAINED ON ITS OWN. FOR A MAN UNAIDED BY GOD, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO KNOW THE HAPPINESS ASSOCIATED WITH GOD’S DIVINE PRINCIPLES. NO MATTER HOW HARD AND HOW LONG A MAN MAY WORK, HE CANNOT EARN GRACE AND MERCY AND FORGIVENESS! IF JESUS DOES NOT OFFER IT THEN IT CANNOT BE ATTAINED. ONCE A PERSON TRULY LEARNS THIS GREAT TRUTH HE IS RICH. WHO DOESN’T WANT A BLESSED AND HAPPY LIFE? THERE IS NO FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, BUT THERE IS A FOUNTAIN OF TRUE HAPPINESS AND IT IS FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST!

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, ONCE A YEAR, MAN WOULD GO TO THE TEMPLE, BRINGING A SACRIFICE. THE PRIEST WOULD THEN OFFER IT UP BEFORE GOD AS A SIGN OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S SORROW AND REPENTANCE FOR HIS DISOBEDIENCE. THEY TRUSTED IN THEIR WORKS TO BRING UNTO THEM THE BLESSINGS OF GOD. BY LOOKING AT THE PHARISEES, WE CAN TELL HOW THEY TOOK GREAT PRIDE AND REJOICED IN THEIR OUTWARD WORKS OF KEEPING GOD’S LAWS. THEY WALKED ABOUT WITH GREAT PRIDE AND ARROGANCE. THEIR HEADS WERE LIFTED UP AND THEY HAD SCRIPTURES WRITTEN UPON FRONTLETS BEFORE THEIR EYES. THEY WERE WANTING PEOPLE TO SEE "THEIR WORKS" WHICH THEY LINKED TO BEING "CLOSE TO GOD." IT WAS AS IF THEIR WORKS EARNED THEIR SALVATION. THEY BOASTED ABOUT EACH AND EVERY CHARITABLE THING THEY DID. THEY WANTED OTHERS TO TAKE NOTICE TO THEIR GOOD DEEDS. GOD WAS NOT HONORED, THEY WERE! EVEN TODAY, WE CANNOT SHARE THE GLORY OF ANY GOOD DEEDS WE MAY HAVE DONE. GOD IS TO RECEIVE "ALL" THE GLORY; NOT "SHARED GLORY." THE ONLY WORKS THAT WE CAN TRULY REJOICE IN AND PLACE OUR TRUST IN, IS THE WORKS OF JESUS!

ONE OF THE GREAT FAULTS OF THE PHARISEES WAS, THEY ADDED SO MANY MAN MADE LAWS TO THE PRESENT LAWS GOD HAD ALREADY GIVEN TO THEM. THEIR IDEA WAS;THE MORE LAWS THEY HAD, AND THE MORE LAWS THEY OBEYED, THEN THE HOLIER THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE. AND TO THEM, THESE "MAN MADE LAWS" HELD THE VERY SAME WEIGHT AND ESTEEM AS THOSE LAWS THAT GOD GAVE UNTO MOSES. THEY WERE SO MIXED UP AND CONFUSED! THEY DID NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE "TRUTH" WHEN HE STOOD BEFORE THEM.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF OUR PRESENT "MAN MADE LAWS" THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE PLACING THEIR ETERNAL TRUST IN: ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR TRUST IN ANY OF THESE THINGS TO GET YOU INTO HEAVEN?

1:) "THE ACT OF BAPTISM" --- BECOMING-- "THE ACT" --- THAT SAVES A PERSON FROM THEIR SINS. THE TRUTH IS: "IF" -- WE HAVE NOT REPENTED OF OUR SINS AND ASKED THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD "BEFORE" WE GO DOWN INTO THE WATER TO BE BAPTIZED, THEN THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THE WATER DOES TO US IS; WE COME UP WET. THAT’S ALL, WET! PLEASE DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME. I BELIEVE THAT BAPTISM IS IMPORTANT. I BELIEVE WE ARE TO FOLLOW THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS AS CLOSELY AS IS POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, WE ARE SAVED THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND HIS GREAT MERCY AND GRACE. NO ACT OF OURS COULD SAVE US. SALVATION IS NOT EARNED. BEING BAPTIZED DOES SHOW TO THE WORLD THAT THERE HAS BEEN A DIFFERENCE WITHIN US. IT IS THE ANSWERING OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD. YET, IT IS THE CROSS THAT SAVES US AND NOT THE WATER. JESUS WAS BAPTIZED IN THE JORDON RIVER BY JOHN THE BAPTIST, BUT JESUS DID NOT HAVE ANY SINS THAT NEEDED TO BE FORGIVEN. IF WATER ALONE COULD SAVE US THEN GOD WOULD HAVE SENT ANOTHER FLOOD AND JESUS COULD HAVE STAYED IN HEAVEN AND WOULD NOT HAVE TO COME TO EARTH AND SUFFER AND DIE FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS.