Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Matthew 5: 1-12 NASB
“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
What the Word is Saying
This portion of scripture is often referred to the Sermon on the Mount and begins with what are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. These are comparisons in line with the Kingdom of God. Then are in contrast to the worlds standards or what most would think of people in these conditions. Jesus calls attention to this for two reasons. One is to encourage those in these conditions and two to change the thinking of those who are not.
Beatitude -Kingdom Thinking
1) Poor in Spirit-Kingdom of Heaven
2) Mourn-Comforted
3) Gentle-Inherit the Earth
4) Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness-Satisfied
5) Merciful-Receive Mercy
6) Pure In Heart-See God
7) Peacemakers-Called Sons of God
8) Persecuted for the Sake of Righteousness-Kingdom of Heaven
9) Insult you and Persecute You, and Falsely Says All Kinds of Evil Against You Because of Me (Jesus)-
Rejoice and Be Glad, For Your Reward in Heaven is Great. For the Prophets Before You Were Treated the Same way
In the next 9 blog posts we will look at each one individually and attempt to see what the Lord is teaching us in them. The first we will look at is the “poor in spirit.”
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Being blessed does not mean financial windfall or predominately super happy. Rather, it refers to the condition of the person in relation to God. They are given favor by God to live in their conditions. Here the poor and spirit likewise refers to the spiritual condition of the individual. Even though they may lack the financial or materialistic things the world sees as being blessed with. The Poor is Spirit have been gifted the ability to be at peace with the conditions they live under. So often you hear people say these sentiments and yet they act in direct opposite to their professions. This is why Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through a camel’s eye than to inherit the Kingdom of God. Because it involves giving up what one associates blessing by the world’s standards to live in the kingdom of heaven.
There is so much wealth in the church today. People have stored up for their comfort a nest egg to comfortably retire and live a life of ease after they are done working. Likewise, they accumulate all manner of possessions and luxuries to make their life a s free from testing as they can. This, however, is in opposition to what the Lord teaches. We are not supposed to store up our treasures here on earth. We are to store them up in heaven. The reason has to do with Lordship. He cannot be Lord of your life if you are not depending on Him for your sustenance. He cannot be the Lord of your life if you are unwilling to use the resources, He has given you to further His kingdom. The widow’s mite is applicable here:
“And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 42And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans. 43Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on (Mark 12: 41-44).”
The fact that the wealthy were giving large amounts was not wrong. Rather the part that was wrong is that they did not have to suffer to give it. Meaning they did not have to rely on Jesus to offer it. He was not Lord of their lives because He was not lord of all their lives. In this case their wealth. It is in this case easier for the poor to live a life in reliance on God or as Jesus put it A life that is “poor in spirit” than for the rich. This is because they have nowhere else to turn. They are dependent on the Lord to meet their needs because without Him they cannot survive.
This stands in contrast to the “name it claim it” Gospel of prosperity that is prevalent today. Sure, with the fall of several of those leaders who have been preaching this “other Gospel” it does not have the same slogans, but nevertheless it is still being taught. Make no mistake friend Jesus told us to lay up our treasures in heaven. Sadly, most are fooled into thinking that their kingdom is here on earth.
Maybe you have been convicted by this message. I implore you to repent and really seek Jesus and ask Him how He wants you to live your life. Then do it! No matter the cost, because great will be your reward in Heaven.
If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.
Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org
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