12.09.20
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
We are going to take a little time to consider the Beatitudes which Jesus gave to us from the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus had gone up on the mountain, much like Moses did of old. He is ‘the Prophet’ Moses said would one day come. Jesus sat down and taught His disciples.
The Beatitudes are simple statements which describe how one can be fully spiritually satisfied. The first Beatitude deals with my attitude toward self, and the next three with my attitude toward sin.
Blessed are the poor in spirit…
What does it mean to be “poor in spirit?” Perhaps it is speaking of one who is mean-spirited? Is it to be shy and retiring? Is it a groveling state like Uriah Heep of Dickens’ fame? None of the above. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of spiritual bankruptcy. It is recognition of spiritual helplessness, of an absolute need of the Lord. This ‘poverty’ is utter poverty, total dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for survival.
We see the word used to describe the beggar in Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:20, 22). In humility, we are being honest with the fact that we need the Lord, we are helpless without Him. It is having a right attitude toward your circumstances and God’s will for your life.
For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isa 57:15). And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to haven, but smote upon his chest, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13b).
The hymn-writer Augustus Toplady expressed this clearly: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace. Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me Savior, or I die.”
…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The ‘kingdom of heaven’ can refer to many things. These include: God’s control over all of His Creation, ultimately to the Millennial Kingdom, and pointedly to Christ.
Jesus was proclaimed as King by the magi at His birth (Matt 2:2). The Father quoted Psalm 2:7 at His baptism and transfiguration—This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. The inscription on the cross proclaimed Him as King.
Here it refers to the reign of God in the heart and life through Christ. Who has delivered from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:13, 14).
The first step toward godliness is the recognition of spiritual need. We must be poor in spirit. We must come to the Father through the Son with a sense of our own spiritual bankruptcy as a sinner. When we come in faith to the God of mercy and grace, we are promised that we will have a part in His future Kingdom.