Title: (Sermon Series) - The Beatitudes (Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit)
Text: Matt 5:1-12 - (Key Verse 3)
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Introduction:
- We are starting a new and exciting sermon series on the Beatitudes contained in Jesus Sermon on the Mount. (Matt 5-7)
- It was the beginning of His Sermon that drew thousands of people that day.
- Christ Sermon On the Mount contain a revelation of God’s righteous standards by which all Christians are to live by, through faith in the Son of God and through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
- All who belong to the Kingdom of God are to have an intense hunger and thirst for the righteous standards taught in Christ’s sermon.
- And it’s with this understanding that we look at the Beatitudes, Christ’s introduction to this great sermon that lasted for 3 chapters.
- From verse 3-12, Jesus refers to the word “Blessed” in each sentence.
- What does that word mean and what was Jesus trying to say?
- The word “blessed” means, happy or fortunate.
- The qualities that we are going to look at over the next few Sundays were qualities that were not external but rather internal. And if one lived to grow the internal part of life they would be “blessed”.
- But the Pharisees were all about the external or the outward appearance, and not the inward appearance.
- So Jesus taught using the Beatitudes, that one must focus and strive for inner qualities to shine and not just the outside qualities.
- And that would only happen by having a right relationship with God through faith.
- The beatitudes are inner qualities Jesus wanted the Pharisees, the common people, and us to be focusing on, in order to be called blessed or happy.
- Now lets look at the first Beatitude Jesus mentions. It’s found in verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
- Before I explain what this Beatitude means, lets first establish what it doesn’t mean.
- To be poor in Spirit does not mean accepting a standard of life that is below what God has intended for the believer.
- A classic example of what I am trying to say is the story of Job.
- His wife encouraged Job to curse God and die. Job’s friends encouraged him that it had to be something he did wrong and he needed to repent.
- They were all trying to convince him to accept a standard below what is found in God’s word.
- We no that testing comes to the believer, but we need to stand our ground and claim the promises that are found in God’s word. Remember we have the victory in Christ Jesus.
- But we accept lack, like it’s God’s will for our lives, when God wants us to live in prosperity.
- In everything, our finances, health, emotions and past.
- The Christian today will live with baggage in there life from the past, and as a result will not soar like eagles but will scratch around like chickens, believing this is God’s will for my life.
- We accept a standard of living that is not entertained in God’s Word, but we embrace it and think we are living in the best that God has for us.
- Now let me tell you what it is...
- To be poor in Spirit is to be empty of all spiritual pride.
- To be poor in Spirit is to have a contrite and humble Spirit (Isa 57:15)
- To be conscious of your unworthiness. - Peter demonstrated this quality in Luke 5:1-11.
Let me explain with this story:
A recent news release told of a Charlotte, North Carolina, woman who set a world record while playing a convenience store video game. After standing in front of the game for fourteen hours and scoring an unprecedented seven and a half million points on the game called "Tapper," the woman was pleased to see a TV crew arriving to record her efforts for posterity. She continued to play while the crew, alerted by her fiancé, prepared to shoot. However, she was appalled to see the video screen suddenly go blank. While setting up their lights, the camera team had accidentally unplugged the game, thus bringing her bid for ten million points to an untimely end! The effort to publicize her achievement became the agent of her ultimate failure.
- There’s some truth in that last statement, it’s not wrong to tell your family and friends your achievement, but understand that if they take on certain attitudes, they can be our failure.
- Many people miss out in knowing God as there personal Savior because of pride. They won’t humble themselves and accept there unworthiness and need for a Savior.
- Now the Pharisee in Luke 18:9 is an example of someone who is not poor in Spirit but full of religious pride. One who is boasting in there achievements with God and what they do.
- And again the tax collector is another example of someone who is poor in spirit.
- Turn to Luke 18:9-14 and read the parable.
- Now the Pharisee is self righteous and the tax collector is poor in spirit.
- Lets not be to hard on the Pharisee, because he would be a welcomed edition to any church. The Pharisee tithes, prays and fasts. Dresses nice and never misses a church service.
- The outward appearance and resume of a Pharisee looks better then words can describe.
- Now the tax collector was dishonest and a trader to his own people, didn’t dress as nice and was around sinners to much.
- But yet the tax collector focused on inner qualities that left him justified before the Lord.
- The Pharisee did not go home justified before the Lord, but the tax collector did.
- Justified meaning forgiven and in right standing before the Lord.
- We can do all the right things on the outside, but if we are not striving to be poor in Spirit then we run in danger of becoming Spiritually proud. Or self righteous before God.
- Now the question I want to focus on this morning is, how do I know if I am poor in Spirit or if I am spiritually proud?
- What are some of the signs of being Spiritual proud verses being poor in Spirit?
Point 1: The Inability To Receive Correction Verses, Receiving Correction
- If we are poor in spirit, or striving to be poor in Spirit we will be able to receive correction from God and Spiritual Authority.
- The inability to receive correction leaves us in danger of drifting towards spiritual pride and not having a broken and contrite heart.
- As humans there will be times we are wrong in what we do, say and think.
(Story)
I was watching the Republican Convention in New York, Thursday night. It was the night the President of the United States was giving his speech to be re-elected again for another 4 years. In my opinion he did a great job. But there was one thing in his speech he had said that increased respect in my eyes for him. He eluded to the fact that he had made mistakes as a leader. He started naming some, and one of them being, he is too dogmatic, or basicly he will tell you what he thinks, not realizing it could hurt other people.
Here is the most powerful leader in all the world telling millions of people, he makes mistakes and needs correction. That shows me that he is on the road to being poor in Spirit.
If George W Bush is a Christian, God expects him to lead in this manner. He will be blessed if he strives to be poor in Spirit and not full of pride. We all need to be corrected, even the President of the United States, because we are human.
- Only God is perfect and in no need of correction.
- God doesn’t make mistakes
- God’s plans for us are perfect and will not backfire on us.
- The Pharisee could do no wrong, not realizing that he needed correction in his attitude and the way they thought about people.
- We can be like that Pharisee. We can get caught up in the mind set that doing external things, like tithing, praying and fasting come before the internal workings.
- Being blessed of the Lord according to the Beatitudes is not about how much you can do, but how much you will surrender.
- You can give everything to the Lord that people can see, but it’s those inward things we need to give to the Lord that people cannot see, and the first being humility before God.
Point 2: The Lukewarm Attitude Towards God’s Grace Verses Receiving God’s Grace
- Because of the Pharisee’s exceptional acts of goodness, they thought that they didn’t need God’s grace.
- Grace being help and mercy in times of need and joy.
- They thought they were worthy before God because of all the outward good they were doing.
- They lost sight of there sinful nature and that only a holy God can fix through the blood of Jesus Christ.
- We are not righteous because of our own efforts, but rather the blood of Jesus Christ makes us righteous.
- We stand before God worthy not because we deserve it or we do good, but rather the Blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin.
- The moment we begin to look to ourselves and the good we do, above the grace of God is the moment we fall in danger of being lukewarm towards God’s grace.
- There is nothing wrong with being good, but remember that we are humans with a sin nature and the only way to be cleansed from sin is from a merciful God.
- Let me tell you this story:
Just about everyone enjoys playing computer games. One of the best is Microsoft’s “Flight Simulator.” In most versions of the game, you can choose a prop plane or a Lear jet, and you can also choose which of 180 airports around the country to take off from or to attempt a landing at.
Only after acquiring landing skills after many hours of practice can a player avoid crashing the plane and land safely. It’s all very realistic. You can crash into the Empire State Building in New York City, the Sears Tower in Chicago, or the Space Needle in Seattle. Your plane can break apart in midair, breaking the sound barrier over Dallas. You can nose-dive into Lake Michigan going five hundred miles per hour.
The greatest thing about “Flight Simulator,” though, is that the game always restores you. No matter what happens, you can start all over again. Whenever you crash and burn, fall apart, or splash into the ocean, the game always puts you back together and places you back on the runway ready to take off again.
- That’s the way it is with the Lord.
- He’s absolutely faithful to forgive us and to restore us when we mess up and to get us back into action, hopefully a little wiser after our failures and bad decisions. (1 John 1:9.)
- With Christ we are never out of the game. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
Point 3: The Inability To Serve Others Verses Serving Others
- What does it mean to serve? Let me give you this story:
The great violinist, Niccolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to city of Genoa on condition that it must never be played. The wood of such an instrument, while used and handled, wears only slightly, but set aside, it begins to decay. Paganini’s lovely violin has today become worm-eaten and useless except as a relic. A Christian’s unwillingness to serve may soon destroy his capacity for usefulness.
- To serve as a Christian is the greatest thing we can do.
- Most of the Pharisees were not willing to serve there fellow man.
- There main concern was to uphold the law and look better then everyone else.
- If what we read in the Bible is true about them, they were hard on people.
- Jesus came to this earth to serve, not to be served.
- We see that in the washing of the disciples feet, feeding of the 5000 thousands, healing people, delivering people. The creator, served the created.
Conclusion:
- The Bible says, we are blessed if we are Poor in Spirit.
- Poor in Spirit means having a humble and contrite heart before the Lord.
- Here’s the challenge: It is more important to be justified before God then it is to be before man.
- Jesus said the tax collector went home justified before the Lord, not the Pharisee.
- Even though the Pharisee did all the right things and was good on the outside, he failed to change on the inside.
- God wants us to change on the inside. Because when we change on the inside it will come out of us and be shown on the outside.
- Spiritual pride will keep you from being justified before God.
- Spiritual pride will keep you from changing on the inside.
Lets Pray!!!
