The Poor In Spirit
Matthew 5:3
February 5, 1995
J. David Hoke
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew
5:3 - NASB)
Our culture has developed its own "conventional wisdom". By conventional
wisdom I mean the current thinking of our culture on how to live, deal with others, and
view the world itself. Most people navigate their way through life by this conventional
wisdom. By it they know how to behave and they know their place in society.
Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom held by our society at large is often at odds
with Biblical wisdom. God's wisdom and ways, more often than not, are diametrically
opposed to and radically different from the current thinking of our secular society.
In fact, Biblical wisdom turns conventional wisdom on its head. Conventional wisdom
would say that the way up is up. That makes sense. It seems logical. But Biblical wisdom
would say that the way up is really down. But that seems crazy. In fact, it seems more
than crazy, it seems stupid. How can that be? It sounds to paradoxical.
Biblical wisdom is full of paradoxes like this. In the Bible, we find statements that
indicate that the way to save your life is to lose it. We are told if you lose your life
you will find it. These kinds of statements fly in the face of conventional wisdom.
The problem with conventional wisdom is that it is not very wise. Biblical wisdom is
true wisdom. It is not only wise, it is true. It will change your life. And this wisdom is
the stuff of which the Sermon on the Mount is made. What we have in the Sermon on the
Mount is the greatest teacher who ever taught sharing with us the greatest sermon that has
ever been preached. It will not only turn conventional wisdom on its head, if you really
hear it, it will turn you on your head as well.
Let me ask you an important question. Are you willing to really hear and obey what
Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount? If you are, you are in for the ride of your life!
Our Poverty
As the eager crowds gathered around Jesus, they really didn't quite understand what
they were about to hear. They knew that this man was an extraordinary person. They had
heard of His miraculous power and radical teaching. And they were hungry. They were hungry
for something more than the routine. They wanted a word from God. They wanted a word that
would make a difference in their lives. What they would hear would be a word unlike any
they had ever heard.
They didn't have to wait long. The first thing that Jesus said was so profound that if
properly understood, it could change the destiny of human civilization. Jesus said, "Blessed
are the poor in spirit."
The idea that those who are poor in spirit are blessed is a radical one
indeed. It flies in the face of all that we are taught today. Indeed, it was even a
radical idea in Jesus day. Conventional wisdom teaches that poverty of spirit is something
to be avoided. It is a bad thing, not something which will be blessed.
The word Jesus uses for blessed means blissful, fortunate, or happy. In other
words, Jesus is saying that this characteristic of being poor in spirit is one that
will make us happy. But most people in our society today would argue the opposite. Many in
our society would argue that poverty of spirit leads to despair, not happiness. They would
say, "happy are the successful, the powerful, the rich, the famous, the aggressive,
the self-reliant, the self-confident, the glamorous." Being poor in spirit is
equated with being depressed, weak, timid, and passive. Everyone knows that this is not
how you get ahead. This is not how you attain happiness. Nietzsche said, "Assert
yourself. Care for nothing except for yourself. The only vice is weakness, and the only
virtue is strength. Be strong, be a superman. The world is yours if you can get it."
This idea, tragically, is baptized by many within the church. There are some preachers,
teachers, and writers today who pass this conventional wisdom off as Biblical teaching.
They claim that following Jesus guarantees material prosperity, physical health, financial
wealth, worldly success, and temporal happiness. This is not Biblical Christianity. It
does not have its eyes on the eternal. In this kind of "theology" God becomes
the means to the end.
But God is more than a means to an end. And Jesus had more in mind than temporal
happiness. He is pointing us to the path of true happiness. And the place to begin is to
become poor in spirit.
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Does it mean that you are timid, or
weak? I do not believe that it does. But it does cut to the heart of those who would exalt
the characteristics of pride, self-reliance, and self-confidence.
To be poor in spirit means that we see our total spiritual poverty before God
and our utter dependence upon Him. Poverty of spirit must be our attitude toward
ourselves. We must see that we can do nothing to commend ourselves to God. It must become
clear to us that apart from Christ we are spiritually destitute. We may be well educated,
but we are spiritually ignorant. We may be financially secure, but we are spiritually
bankrupt. We may be the president of a corporation, but without Christ we are on the
spiritual unemployment line.
To be poor in spirit is to recognize that without Christ we can not do nothing.
It is to recognize that without Christ we are nothing. It is to come before God with empty
hands, humble in heart, seeking only to receive from Him. This kind of person is described
in Isaiah 66:2: "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of
spirit, and who trembles at My word."
Have you seen your own poverty of spirit before God? Have you come to the place in your
life where you are tired of trying to do it on your own? It is possible to try and follow
God in your own strength, you know. Have you done that? Have you been trying to follow God
in your own wisdom, knowledge, and strength? This is not uncommon. But when we attempt to
do that, we find out, some sooner, some later, that it just doesn't work. We become
exhausted because our strength is not sufficient. Our knowledge is not enough. In our
attempt to figure God out, we have put Him in a little box, because that is the only kind
of God who can be figured out. We must reduce God to our limited understanding. And while
we might feel safe that way, we have limited God. We become those who "have a form of
godliness but deny the power thereof." Duty and responsibility drive our attempt to
follow Jesus. Pretty soon we are spent. We become dry. We become exhausted. This is where
we arrive by trying to follow Christ in our own strength. Are you there?
If you are there, that may not be a bad thing. You should have begun there. Poverty of
spirit begins at the point where we see our insufficiency to do it on our own. When we are
willing to acknowledge that God must fill us or we will forever remain empty, then we are
in a place where God can meet us. We are in a place where we can begin to receive from
God. You see, without true poverty of spirit we can never enter the kingdom.
Our Inheritance
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." The attitude of poverty of spirit brings us to the place where we can
receive the kingdom from the king.
Without being poor in spirit a person cannot even come to Christ. This is the
first step. Indeed, it is a prerequisite. This is probably why Jesus begins His sermon
with this statement.
But look at the magnitude of the blessing which we received. It is the kingdom of
heaven. What a blessing! What an inheritance! In other words, to those who are poor
in spirit God will give the kingdom of heaven. "Do not be afraid, little
flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." - Luke 12:32
This is enough to make anyone happy. It is what Paul was referring to in Colossians
1:12: "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance
of the saints in light." Peter speaks of it in 1 Peter 1:4: "To obtain an
inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven
for you."
We have an inheritance. Indeed, the Bible says that we are heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ. Just think of what that means. It means that God grants us entrance
into His kingdom. It also means that God puts the resources of His kingdom at our
disposal. It means we become adopted sons and daughters in His family. We become children
of the King.
Ephesians 1:11 says, "In Him, we also have obtained an inheritance." God has
given us a rich provision in Christ. This is our inheritance. It is a rich inheritance
indeed.
For instance, the Bible clearly indicates that God has made generous promises to us as
believers. 2 Peter 1:4 indicates that God "has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises." But these promises have not been given like mere human
promises are given. People will promise you many things and then not come through on their
promises. But God is not like that. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, "for as many as may be
the promises of God, in Him they are yes." In other words the promises of God are yes
in Christ! God's promises never fail. In Christ they are yes. But only in Christ. And only
the poor in spirit will receive these promises because only they will receive
Christ.
It is to the poor in spirit that the promise comes of the kingdom of heaven.
As we come to Christ with our empty hands He will fill them with good things. Isaiah
57:15, "For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order
to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."
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