Sermon on the Mount
“Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit”
Matthew 5:3
The Sermon on the Mount is taught in the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Immediately after his baptism and temptation he had begun to announce the good news that the kingdom of God, long promised in the Old Testament Era, was now at hand. He himself had come to inaugurate it. He said: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
The sermon of the mount is to be seen in this context. It portrays repentance (metanoia, the complete change of mind) and the righteousness which belong to the kingdom. In other words, it would describe what human life and human community look like when they come under the gracious rule of God.
And what do they look like? Different! Jesus emphasized that his true followers, the citizens of God’s Kingdom, were to be entirely different from others. The Sermon on the Mount elaborates the theme that the believers’ character was to be completely distinct from the World. The disciples of Christ are supposed to shine like lights in the darkness of the world. Their righteousness was to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.
In fact, there is no single paragraph on the Sermon on the Mount that the contrast between Christian and non-Christian standards is not drawn. Sometimes Jesus compared the difference with the World: Non-Christians love and salute the World, but Christians love their enemies. Sometimes Jesus used the Pharisees to do the contrast: He pointed to them as having an outside purity but with a hypocrite behaviour, once they honoured God with their lips but their hearts were far away from Him.
Tonight is the first chapter of a series that will change my life completely.
As we call the Sermon on the Mount the beatitudes, let me give you the meaning of it. The word “beatitude” that comes from the Latin meaning happy or blessed. Walter Bauer in his Greek-English Lexicon defines this word as the “privileged recipients of divine favour.”
Being happy or blessed in our days mean something completely different than what this word really means. Being happy nowadays is related to the way you feel and the way you feel is related with the circumstances you are experiencing in the moment. Being blessed is normally seen as being successful, healthy and wealthy, having power, fame and not lacking anything.
Blessed in this case means to become the privileged recipients of divine favour.
These two paradigms are addressed upfront by Jesus when he says Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Consider, those who are poor in spirit, who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the privileged recipients of God’s divine favour, therefore they’re blessed and happy.
Being blessed means to feel purposeful and fulfilled in God’s will, character and comfort, independent of the circumstances that surround you. The worldly meaning of being blessed means that you have achieved your goals and success and it does not point to Jesus, but to yourself. The biblical meaning of being blessed brings us to a place of dependence and connection with God, on weather successful or not, in good and in bad moments, in health and wealth or in sickness and poverty, you will be with Him and know He is with you.
Psalm 1 gives us a very good meaning for the word blessed. It says:
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV)
And so those who are blessed are those who keep God’s commandments. They are the recipients of His divine favour.
And so was we enter into today’s subject and this sermon series, we must ask,
• “Are we willing to accept the radical teaching of Jesus?”
• “Are we willing to let it change our lives in the radical way they’re intended?”
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed, fulfilled, full of purpose, being privileged recipients of God’s divine purpose are the poor in Spirit. But what is to be poor in Spirit? What is the first word that comes to your mind?
Just so that we can define somethings: Being poor in Spirit is not:
Observe here,
1. It is not said, blessed are the poor in estate, but blessed are the poor in spirit: it is not a poverty of purse and possession, but a poverty of spirit, that entitles us to the blessing.
2. It is not said, blessed are the spiritually poor, but blessed are the poor in spirit: he that is destitute of the grace and spirit of Christ, that has no sense of his spiritual wants, he is spiritually poor, but he is not poor in spirit.
4. It is not said, blessed are they that make themselves poor by leaving their estates and callings, and turning beggars, as some do among the Papists; but blessed are they whom the gospel makes poor, by giving them a sight of their spiritual wants and necessities, and directing them to Christ that they may be made rich.
5. "Poor in spirit" does not mean a lack of vitality or courage.
6. "Poor in spirit" does not mean a false humility which is designed to gain the sympathy of others.
7. "Poor in spirit" does not have anything to do with suppressing our personality.
8. The person who is self-satisfied, self-sufficient, who feels no need for God . . . is not poor in spirit.
9. The believer who argues with God’s Will, complains about every circumstances . . . is not poor in spirit.
10. The person who fishes for compliments & inflates when their complimented . . . is not poor in spirit.
11. Leaders who are harder on others than they are on themselves . . . is not poor in spirit.
The first word that comes to my mind is humility, but I would rather start explaining poor in Spirit as:
Poor in spirit = being totally dependent upon God.
3. Psalm 51:16-17 — “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
“Poverty of spirit is the personal acknowledgment of spiritual bankruptcy. As such it is the deepest form of repentance.”
The word in Greek for poor actually means a beggar. So it is not only a poor, but a begging poor.
I like what Today’s English Version says here, “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.” The poor in spirit are those who, unlike the Pharisees of Christ’s day, realize they are spiritually bankrupt. They know that they need grace; they know their situation is hopeless, and so they know they must rely on God completely.
Example: The Publican in the Temple, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Contrast the Pharisee’s prayer)\
It is not a man’s confession that he is insignificant, or personally without value, because that would simply not be true. Rather, it is a confession that we are by nature sinful, rebellious, and in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. It is admitting that we are nothing without Him.
No one ever entered the Kingdom because of their pride, works, ministry, moral . . . they entered because they were empty, humble, realize the depth of their depravity and the seriousness of their sin. Until we see our true and helpless selves we’ll never see how precious Jesus is.
The first word that comes to my mind is humility.
Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is the first duty of the creature, and the root of every good quality.
Likewise, pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil. It was when the Serpent breathed the poison of his pride – the desire to be as God – into the hearts of Adam and Eve, that they fell from their high position into all the wretchedness in which mankind is now sunk.
Pride was the very first sin, for both Satan that wanted to be God and rebelled against Him, and for Adam and Eve that fell in Satan’s trap to “become like God”.
Humility, as one of the characteristics of being poor in Spirit, is our way back to God. It restores us in our relationship with Him once we approach Him like a child. Jesus said:
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10;15
The wise in this World in their pride often miss the treasures the simple hearted find on their knees. A. W. Tozer
There can be no real love without humility. "Love," said Paul, "vaunts not itself, is not puffed up". As Augustine said, humility is first, second and third in Christianity. Jesus not only strongly impressed His disciples with the need of humility, but was in Himself its supreme example. He described Himself as "meek and lowly in heart". The first of the Beatitudes was to "the poor in spirit", and it was "the meek" who should "inherit the earth. Humility is the way to true greatness: he who should "humble himself as this little child" should be "the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"; "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted". To the humble mind truth is revealed. Jesus set a touching example of humility in His washing His disciples' feet. Paul, therefore, makes an earnest appeal to Christians that they should cherish and manifest the Spirit of their Lord's humility--"in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself," and adduces the supreme example of the self-emptying of Christ: "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,"
Isaiah 66:2
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Poor in spirit means to be “empty.”
There are hundreds of books for Christians to be filled with the Spirit, filled with joy, this & that, but I’ve never seen a book entitled, “How To Be Nothing”, “How To Be Nobody” or “How To Be Empty.” The reason, I believe that being “poor in spirit” is first among the Beatitudes is that being poor in spirit is the soil that the Christian life grows out of.
C.H. Spurgeon, “The way to rise in the kingdom is to sink in ourselves.”
John Calvin, “He only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit.”
Poor in Spirit means to have a teachable heart
You cannot learn anything if you are full of pride.
Rabbi Chanina said, "Why are the words of the law compared to water? Because as waters flow from heights, and settle in low places, so the words of the law rest only with him who is of a humble heart."
Jesus said: In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. Luke 10;21
Being poor in Spirit is both Christ and his people’s characteristic.
- Christ an example of - Matthew 11:29 John 13:14-15 Philippians 2:5-8
- A characteristic of saints - Ps 34:2
- THE ONES WHO ARE POOR IN SPIRIT
. Regarded by God - Psalms 138:6 Isaiah 66:2 – He cares for the humble and keeps distance from the proud.
. Heard by God - Psalms 9:12 He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted
. Enjoy the presence of God - Isa 57:15 I live in a high and holy place, but also with the lowly in Spirit
. Delivered by God - Job 22:29 When men are brought low and You say: Lift them up!
. Lifted up by God - Jas 4:10 – Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up
. Exalted by God - Luke 14:11 Luke 18:14 – The exalted will be humbled and the humble will be exalted
. Are greatest in Christ's kingdom - Matthew 18:4 Matthew 20:26-28 The greatest is a child
. Receive more grace - Proverbs 3:34 James 4:6 He gives more grace to the humble and low of Spirit
. Upheld by honour - Proverbs 18:12 Proverbs 29:23 – humility comes before honour
- Is before honour - Pr 15:33 - humility comes before honour
- Leads to riches, honour, and life - Pr 22:4 – Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honour and life.
SAINTS SHOULD
. Put on - Col 3:12 – Clothe yourself with humility
. Be clothed with - 1Pe 5:5 Clothe yourself with humility towards one another
. Walk with - Eph 4:1,2 Be completely humble and gentle
But after all of this, how do we become poor in spirit? What should I do?
HUMILITY?
Dr. Harry Ironside was once convicted about his lack of humility. A friend recommended as a remedy, that he march through the streets of Chicago wearing a sandwich board, shouting the scripture verses on the board for all to hear. Dr. Ironside agreed to this venture and when he returned to his study and removed the board, he said "I’ll bet there’s not another man in town who would do that."
Routinely confess your sin to God (Luke 18:9-14).
Acknowledge your sin to others (James 3:2, James 5:16).
Take wrong patiently (1 Peter 3:8-17).
Actively submit to authority…the good and the bad (1 Peter 2:18).
Receive correction and feedback from others graciously (Proverbs 10:17, 12:1).
Accept a lowly place (Proverbs 25:6,7).
Purposely associate with people of lower state than you (Luke 7:36-39).
Choose to serve others (Philippians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Matthew 23:11).
Be quick to forgive (Matthew 18: 21-35).
Cultivate a grateful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Purpose to speak well of others (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Treat pride as a condition that always necessitates embracing the cross (Luke 9:23).
