The Poor in Spirit

God has compassion for the poor.  He knows that most people will call unto Him more often when they are in need.  In the story of the rich man, Jesus said that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”    

The Sermon on the Mount is the longest recorded sermon by Jesus. It contains several do’s and don’ts of Christian living.  The first 12 verses contain what we call “The Beatitudes”

I’m not sure if you noticed that but Jesus said in verse one “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” and in verse eight “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness” --- the promise here is happening at the present time.  But for the others---  Blessed are those who mourn, for they WILL be comforted

    -- Blessed are the meek, they WILL inherit the earth

    -- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for

        they WILL be filled

    --  Blessed are merciful, for they WILL be showed mercy

    --  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they WILL see God

Anaphora  is a repetition of words at the beginning of successive statements.

Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with how much material things we have. Some people are poor because of their own wrongdoing and Jesus is not going to reward them for that.  

Being poor in spirit is not about our relationship with one another.  It’s about our relationship with God. We recognize our own deficiency – we recognize that we are spiritually lost, that we are hopeless and helpless.  It means that without the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, we are spiritually malnourished – regardless of what we may have accomplished in life, without Christ, we can never be satisfied.

Jesus is the perfect example of submitting to the will of God.  In Luke 22:42, He said “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  You may be a talented singer, a superstar athlete, or even a successful businessman. But if you have truly met God, you will know that without Him, you have nothing to offer  

Recall the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 

Luke 18:9-14   “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 

God longs for us to pray. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”  There’s a huge issue with this prayer.  Instead of humbling himself, he promoted himself.  The Pharisee was a “holier-than-thou” person. He thought that God really loved him because of how righteous and holy he was.

“A 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.’  Jesus said “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There’s a very thin line that divides true humility from false humility.  It boils down to what’s in your heart. If God has blessed you, if God has done great things in your life…share it with others.  It’s a testimony that God is our provider. 

If you are facing difficult times, share it with others.  Let them see how God has been helping you to stay strong and remain faithful no matter what your situation in life is at the moment.  

Humility is also thinking about the right priorities.  

Even before the creation of man, pride was there. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with it. He said “you can be like God!”

Pride is sin and it separates us from God.  Being proud is obviously the opposite of being poor in spirit.  

God lives in heaven – high and lifted up. But now Jesus wants us to know that He also lives with the person who is poor in spirit. Heaven is to live with God, and the poor in spirit gets a foretaste of heaven because God comes to live with them!   

God bless you.

Prayer

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Richmond during its service on  Sunday, March 13, 2016

I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologize if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any.  as it is purely unintentional.

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