The Beatitudes - Part 1

Blessed are the poor in spirit

24^th May 2008

At the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

Matthew 5v3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Greek word translated “blessed” is makarios. It’s often described as meaning “happy” or “fortunate” but I find it helpful to consider the comment in G. W. Bromley’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, which says “The special feature of the New Testament is use of the term [makarios] for the distinctive joy which comes through participation in the divine kingdom”.

To be poor in spirit means to be lacking in self-confidence. This is usually a result of having experienced problems, illness or sadness over a period of time.

And it is these - the poor in spirit - and these alone, that can enter the kingdom of heaven.

The world says "Be self-confident, be assertive, be strong, be self-reliant, be independent, be yourself”. As Polonius said to Hamlet, "Above all, to thine own self be true". God says the opposite, "Blessed are the poor in spirit".

We’re not far from the kingdom of God if our problems have made us so humble that we’re willing to come to God in prayer for His help and protection. Blessed (fortunate) are those who are so aware of their own weakness, pain and need that they will acknowledge that they need God’s help, and are willing to give their lives to Him in return.

• Blessed are those who are so aware of their own sinfulness that they have no pride left.
• Blessed are those who realise that they need God’s help both in this life and in the life to come.

For theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are those who are not self-confident, blessed are those who know they're not strong, not clever, not wise, not good, not self-sufficient. These are the only ones who can see their need of God. Blessed are those who know they're without hope if they're without God. Blessed are the humble. Only these can come to God and experience the power of the gospel.

It’s often the most religious of us who most need to discover our own poverty of spirit. Jesus taught:

Luke 18v10-14
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
"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.’
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

By contrast, the great apostle Paul said:

1 Corinthians 15v9-10a
...I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am...

1 Timothy 1v15b
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.

Is that how your preachers talk about themselves?

Is your, and their, self image an image of a Pharisee or a sinner? Are you proud of what you are, or are you poor in spirit?

Paul knew the grace of God. He knew that by that grace alone he was forgiven, made new and reconciled to God, given eternal life and the Spirit of God working mightily within him. But he never forgot what he was before God saved him.

If you think you’ve lived a good life, been a good person, done God a favour by being a good citizen and a good neighbour, then I suggest that you find time to examine your self and your life honestly. You’re not a good person. None of us are.

Only when we see our own spiritual poverty can we come to God for forgiveness and help. But if you know that only God can forgive you, only God can help you or heal you, only God can sort your life out, then come to Him in faith now. God will meet with you. The kingdom of Heaven is for you.