BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
Text: Matthew 5:3 Evangelist W. Max Alderman
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Yusuf
So reads my Text… to properly understand the context in which it was written, it would be helpful to consider also Matthew 5:20, and Matthew 6:33. These verse tell us that everything hinges or rests upon the righteousness of God. A person will never come to an awareness of needing God’s righteousness until he first feels beggarly poor as he appraises his own righteousness, thus agreeing with the Scriptures that his righteousness is no more than uhfilthy rags as Isaiah 64:6 words it…
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The blessed favor of God described in the beatitudes comes only from God and is related directly back to having His righteousness as clearly indicated in verse number 20, and in Matthew 6:33. To not have the righteousness of God is also not to have his blessed favor. The pagans believed that blessedness came from having knowledge, rather than from having God’s righteousness. Their thinking was, if they had a problem with being moral it was not a heart problem, as it speaks to ones virtue, but an intellectual problem that had to do with ones mind. That is one reason that the Lord said “Blessed are the pure in heart…” He took that which was external and visible and turned it back into ones heart. Having a pure heart is to be blessed or have the favor of God.
When considering the concept of being truly blessed, “Our Saviour here gives us eight characteristics of blessed people; which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian. On each of them a present blessing is pronounced; Blessed are they; and to each a future blessing is promised, which is variously expressed, so as to suit the nature of the grace or duty recommended.” (M.Henry)
This study shows the way that the righteous man thinks and feels towards himself, towards others and also towards God. There is a humility and desire that is found in the true believer that is not found in the unbeliever. The believer is characterized and identified by these eight beatitudes. The degree to which these spiritual character traits are revealed is in proportion to his attachment to the Word of God. God places, as an example in these beatitudes, the word hunger. In our human existence, we know that if we fail to eat, that our appetite or hunger pains will leave or at least be diminished, and such could also be said about our spiritual hunger. If we fail to eat the bread of God’s Word, we will certainly become weak, no longer hunger, and also lose the state of blessedness that comes from the steady diet of God’s Word.
Introduction: To understand the fullness of the meaning, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" one must recognize what is meant by the terms, "Blessed," "Poor," and the word "Spirit."
1. Blessed - has a root meaning of happy, fortunate, blissful.
a. Homer used the word to describe a wealthy man.
b. Plato used the word to describe one who is successful in business.
c.The fullest meaning of the word, however, has to do with having an inward contentment that is not affected by outward circumstances. When Jesus used the word blessed or happy here, he elevated the word giving it a meaning that had not been known before. It is sad that the word happy as now commonly used does not still retain this value of meaning.
2. Poor - is from a verb meaning "to shrink, lower, or cringe" as beggars often did in that day. (not simply poor - but begging poor)
3. Spirit - Man is a trichotomy
a. Body - unconscious existence (a tree is alive but unconscious)
b. Soul - conscious existence
c. Spirit - God conscious existence
FOR THE UNBELIEVER…ONE WHO IS RENDERED POOR IN HIS SPIRIT TO BRING ABOUT CONVICTION for HIS SALVATION…
It is no accident that the first beatitude speaks of being poor in spirit, because no one will surrender his will to God until he first sees his absolute total need, having nothing in and of himself and also as being totally depraved. Such depravity is pictured as Isaiah describes Israel in Isaiah 1:4-6,
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Isa 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
A. To Be Saved One Must First Recognize His TERRIBLE DESTINATION Apart From God…
A contrasting illustration of being proud in Spirit as opposed to being poor in Spirit is seen in the Pharisee and the Publican. Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luk 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
This is a wonderful and a classic illustration of what it means to be poor in spirit as depicted by the publican….expressed when he cried: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” A man must come to the end of himself with Holy Ghost conviction, which may also be defined as being poor in spirit…Some have described conviction as bringing one to the “garbage heap”. A proud person cannot at the same time be “poor in spirit”.
B.To be Saved a Man Must Recognize that he is TOTALLY DEPENDANT Upon God…
1. On God’s Mercy-
Mercy is the compassion of God that moved Him to provide Himself a Saviour for our sins even as Abraham recognized in Genesis 22:8
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
2. On God's Love - Love is the motivating plan behind all that God does in saving a soul. John 3:16
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3. On God's Grace - Grace is what God does for the lost after Christ has died for them.
Ephesians 2:4-5 "But God who is rich in mercy for his great love, where with he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved."
ILLUSTRATION:When the learned, and wealthy John Selden was dying he
said to Archbishop Usher, "I have surveyed most of the learning that is among the sons of men and my study is filled with books and manuscripts (he had 8000 volumes in this library) on various subjects. But at present I cannot recollect any passage out of all my books and papers whereon I can rest my soul save
this from the sacred Scriptures. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savious Jesus Christ: who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purity unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
(Titus 2: 14)
II. FOR THE BELIEVER, THE LORD RENDERS ONE TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT TO BRING ABOUT CONSECRATION FOR SERVICE. II Cor. 7:11
It is with the Spirit of the Psalmist that we should cry, "I am poor and sorrowful." Psalm 69:29 "Bow down thine ear, 0 Jehovah, for I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me." Psalm 109:22
A. One Who is Poor in Spirit has a HUMBLE SPIRIT.
He has a right appraisal of himself. He does not have a Diotrephes like spirit, the one who loved to have the preeminence as indicated in 3 John 9, 10.
3Jn 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
3Jn 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Diotrephes was haughty, meaning he liked to have the preeminence,; he also was a hindrance because of his selfish ambitions, and sorry activities. I guess you could say that he was a headache. He certainly was not poor in spirit….
B. One who is poor in Spirit has a HUNGRY SPIRIT.
If you want to grasp a clear meaning of how this word is used, think of Lazarus the beggar in his state of hunger desiring even the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. When you do so, you will have a more precise meaning of the expression, “poor in spirit”.
1. Wants more of God's Word.
The one who professes Christ, is blessed if he possesses a strong appetite for the precious Word of God. I strongly question ones faith who does not have an appetite for the things of God. If you are that way, please do not brush what I am saying off, for this may be a clear indication that you have never come to a place of conversion, having truly been born again. If not ask God to save you today…do not wait another moment, for today is the day of salvation.
2. Wants more to do God's Will.
A true convert will strive to do God’s will knowing that God gives the Spirit filled believer a joy and peace that can be had no other way.
CONCLUSION: This concludes our study of the first beatitude and I would like to say that there is a progression of thought as we look at the order in which the other beatitudes appear. It parallels to the progressive journey of the Christian as he goes on to perfection or maturity.
