Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Beatitudes #1

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

Matthew 5:3

Have you ever been poor?

Giving plasma for gas money poor

Evicted poor because you can’t pay the rent poor

Duck tape on the broken car window poor

Electricity got turned off poor

Poor is defined:

Having little or few possessions or resources

Lacking the necessary means to live a reasonably comfortable life.

Synonyms: for poor:

destitute, unfortunate, pathetic, miserable, impoverished, broke, hard up

It’s safe to say we’d all like to avoid poverty:

It’s nice to have a comfortable bed and full belly

We like feeling independent and self sufficient

Would it surprise you to hear that Jesus encourages a certain kind of poverty?

Not poverty of possessions,

Jesus to abandon anything that steers your heart away from God...

Introduction to Sermon on the Mount:

Covers matthew 5-7

Starts with the attitudes of the people who will be in heaven.

Jesus shares his beatitudes with His folllowers:

- the new people of God,

- who have decided to live in submission to God’s sovereign reign.

Read the 5:3-11

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

There is a pattern to the “Beatitudes:

There is a Blessing that comes with living God’s way (X2)

Today we are going to look at the first Beatitude

Let’s start by looking at Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

OUTLINE: #1 The Blessed and the Blesser

A.Blessed - A gift for the wellbeing of another.

The “Blessed” means happy now, and later Happy when in heaven.

Many will feel blessed now, but in hell their will be no blessing, not happiness, only pain and punishment.

describes the present state of those who have received God’s favor

The blessing is for the present, and for the promise of eternity

Greatest blessing is salvation from Jesus

Blessed in this text doesn’t:

- mean just “Happy”,

- it means made happy by God

The College Press commentary of Matthew says:

“The first beatitude identifies the poor in spirit as the subject of this blessed state. Divine approval rests with those who acknowledge their impoverished condition and desperate dependency upon God.”

Life in the Kingdom is a life:

For intense joy found nowhere else, and can’t be taken away.

Anyone can have this joy, this happiness this blessing

But it is only found in full dependance of God

OUTLINE # 2. Characteristics of the Blessed.

B. Poor in spirit:

Those who are bankrupt of everything else, but full of confidence in God:

They say attitude is everything….God seems to agree

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit,

and who tremble at my word.” - Isaiah 66:2

The poor in spirit attitude that says:

I am a sinner, I deserve death and hell

I can’t pay my debt of sin,

Help me Lord!

Luke 18:13 records the prayer of one poor in spirit:

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

Outline #3 The Reward of the poor

Kingdom of Heaven

A Kingdom has at least 3 components:

A perimeter:

Some are In the Kingdom, outside the Kingdom

The lowly will enter the Kingdom

The self important will not be in the Kingdom

Not everyone is getting into the Kingdom

Some who will be kept out, who think they should be let in.

2. A King:

That’s Jesus, He’s in charge of the Kingdom and the people

Some who were important on earth

Who had the power, the money, the self righteous

Who have been bully’s on earth, mistreating the poor

Will be surprised the God doesn’t answer to them...

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’