Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:1-3 Seeing the crowds, he (Jesus) went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We started a small group home Bible study at our house this week, which began by asking God to help us see the familiar verses of the Beatitudes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew, chapter 5. Focusing, this week, on the first of these precious teachings that radically defined and took righteousness to the “right” level of what it means to be blessed of God and how these blessings are manifest in our lives; to live out these blessings in our Christian walk. Growing in our faith by seeking and finding truth, maturing in our godly knowledge and wisdom from above, aligning our purpose with the Lord’s purposes of restoration and creating beauty in this fallen world, to be a light shining in the darkness as ambassadors for the Son of God, for the kingdom of heaven, to impact our life and the lives of those within our sphere of influence, in this time and place of God’s plan called history. Do we want to be blessed by God? Of course, we want His blessings in our lives!

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Blessed or blessedness is first and foremost a characteristic of God. It is a part of who He is, His state of being. The Greek word translated is ‘makarios’. It is sometimes translated as “happy”, but it carries a much deeper meaning. In English, the idea of being “happy” is based upon favorable circumstances. But to be blessed is to possess the favor of God. It is a state of being defined by fullness and satisfaction from God. To be blessed is to be walking in the fullness of God regardless of circumstances; in good times and bad.

Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: " The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Greek word translated in Matthew 5 as poor means “to be poverty stricken, powerless, utterly destitute, and bankrupt.” To be “poor in spirit” means knowing you have nothing to offer and acknowledging your total dependence on God. It suggests a humility, which is the opposite of pride. It seems to be ingrained in our sinful human nature to think that we are better than perhaps we really are. This is especially true when it comes to standing before the Righteous Judge of the universe. We fail to recognize the seriousness of sin that is wicked iniquity in the eyes of our “Just & Holy” Lord God. All too often, when it comes to sin in our life, we justify our actions by comparing ourselves to someone we believe is worse than we are; like God grades us on a curve or scale. But that’s not the way God judges. Just look at the Ten Commandments. How do you and I measure up to no idols, taking God’s name lightly or profanely, no lying, no stealing, no hating, no lustful thoughts, no envious desires. Paul clarifies in Romans 7 stating: “Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” God’s standard is perfection , not goodness. No one measures to the standard known as righteousness. 1 John 1:8-10 says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Our only hope for blessing is to confess our sinful life that falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and admit our utter dependence on God. Those who are walking in the fullness of God, those whose inheritance is heaven, are those who are “poor in spirit”. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 1:2-4 "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
Blessings, Brian