When he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountain side and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, but they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, but they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, but they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, but they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, but they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me, rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, or in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Well, those are the opening words of what's known as the Sermon on the Mount. We find that in Matthew chapter 5, through chapter 7.
3, super important chapters. We probably shouldn't necessarily see that as a single sitting when Jesus got up and spoke, but as really a compilation of the things that Jesus said, which makes it so important. And these verses that we just read are known as what we call the Beatitudes. My grandson Finn was at her house.
This was a couple years ago now, but he was looking at a medal that I had just won in a bike race. And he was super fascinated by it. He was just obviously, he wanted it. He was looking at it, he put around his neck, and he was carrying it around.
And so I gave it to him. And his daddy was not terribly happy about that. He pulled me aside and he said, Dad, I'm not sure that's a great idea. Now his daddy, to this day, has a big box up in our attic that's filled with medals that he won as a child and teenager and wrestling tournaments from all over the country.
And he said, Dad, I'm not sure that's a good idea. To give Finn something that he didn't earn. I mean, Finn doesn't understand the hours that went into your training, the early morning rides, the sacrifices that you made to get down to racing weight, and all of the things that went into that medal. And you know what?
My son was exactly right. You know where he learned that? From me. I caught that to him as he was growing up, the sacrifice that's involved in really accomplishing something.
Now, you know, it's a whole lot harder to be tough on your grandson than anywhere on your son when they were going up, but that's another story altogether, right? Now, here's the thing. It got me thinking though. And while there is something essential about this concept, and that is that understanding the difference between earning something and being given it is super important to our success in life.
And yet it also got me thinking here, as I was preparing for this sermon and remembering this event with my grandson, what if things were entirely different when it came to God's kingdom? And what if, in fact, it's exactly backwards than the way it is in God's economy? What if in God's kingdom of heaven everything we know about how to earn God's favor and about spiritual success and about what it means to be blessed is completely upside down? Well, 2000 years ago, Jesus had just called 12 dudes to be his students.
We call them his disciples and they had given up everything. They had left their jobs. They had left their families behind while they went on this important ministry tour with Jesus. And, you know, the vision was Jesus said, come with me.
We're going to change the world. We're going to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth and I want you to be a part of it. And so they're all excited and they sit down for this first talk and they're expecting to hear something about how they're going to do it, about the kingdom of God coming in power and all that's going to happen in the nation of Israel. And here are the first words that Jesus said.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up into the mountainside and he sat down and he began to teach them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And likely they said, what? And maybe their soldiers went like this because this is not at all what they were expecting. This is the kind of thing that happens when we start to really investigate Jesus and what it means to be his follower, what it means to be a Christian.
A lot of things are different than what we might expect or anticipate. So over the next eight weeks, we're going to unpack these beatitudes. There's eight of them. So there's eight of them and we're going to take one each week.
They're really pretty revolutionary statements about what it means to be in God's kingdom, to be one of his followers. And I want to warn you upfront that if you take these things seriously, these eight beatitudes that might turn your life upside down or maybe it'd be better to say it might get your life right side up because these eight characteristics are really the core of what it means to be a follower. So this is a real core understanding. So get with me here and let's start out on the right foot.
Here's how Jesus sermon starts. Okay. So to all he says, all of my followers are like this. Number one, blessed are the poor in spirit.
Number two, blessed are those who mourn. Number three, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And there's eight of them. Now here's what's critically important.
He did not say to his followers and all these who gathered, my followers do this. In fact, he says very specifically, my followers are like this. Now what's so important about that? Well, what's so important is that Jesus's Christianity is not a religion of rules.
He doesn't say here's how to live. This is precisely what Jesus came to change because there was a whole lot of Jewish people that had this mindset. We can understand why they would start to get confused about that, right? They had 10 commandments, which are here's 10 things to do or better yet, here's 10 things not to do.
And so they fell into this understanding that what it meant to be religious, what it meant to be someone who believed in God and loved God was you do certain things. And Jesus came to try to correct that and to help people understand what it truly means to be a God follower. So he came to announce a religion of character. He says, this is who you must be.
It's very different from here's what you must do. It's here's who you must be. And these eight things, I want to hear this, these eight things are not for the spiritual overachievers. These are actually eight things that are the characteristics of a believer.
They're the eight things that should be the epitome of what a believer is like. A Christian is like a follower of Jesus is like. In other words, they're not something that we can kind of do if we want to be really good. They actually are a reflection of the fact that we are a follower of God and a believer in Jesus Christ.
So we're going to take these next eight weeks and try to break them down one at a time, make sure that we understand them and that we can apply them to our life. And it all starts with the first one. And unless we have this first one in place, then none of the others are going to be able to gain any traction in our life. Okay, so let's get started.
We're going to talk. I'm here this morning about how Christians live being poor in spirit. Because that's what this first one is. I'm blessed are the poor in spirit.
So what exactly does that mean? Well, I'm going to give you a quick survey, which is a little dangerous. Right? Because I don't want you to think, okay, well, I can go to sleep for the rest of time.
Because you told me what it's about. Okay? But here's the quick survey. So what does this mean to be poor in spirit?
Well, it means that I understand that I am desperately dependent on God. Now, let's break that down and make sure we understand, okay, what exactly does that look like? Okay, so two things. Number one, write this down.
And we come to Christ through being poor in spirit. Can we come to Christ through being poor in spirit? Okay, so let me ask you a question. You know, might seem like super obvious.
But it's important. What does it mean to be a Christian? I was like, okay, I know I know we're in church. And we should all know what that means.
Right? But surprisingly, there is a lot of confusion about exactly what it means to be a Christian. We've already seen some of that, that the people of Jesus they had, you know, that somehow being a Christian means I do certain things and I avoid doing certain things. Jesus said that there's going to be a lot of confusion about this.
And people are going to show up with the gates of heaven before God. And there's going to be a whole lot of confusion about this issue. So we need to make sure we haven't sorted out in our head. What does it mean to be a Christian?
Well, this is actually exactly what this first beatitude is about. Jesus starts with this most basic foundational truth about how to enter God's kingdom. And so let's talk about this. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
So there's two Greek words for poor. And the first word is pronounced penase. And this really is about a person who's a working person, but their job provides their basic needs. And so, you know, I'm sure lots of us can identify with that.
That means that, you know, I've got a job, I'm paying my bills, and that's about it. You know, there's not a whole lot left over at the end of the month, right? I'm scraping by. I'm, you know, just, there's not a whole lot of spending money available for me.
I've got enough. And so someone like that might say, yeah, I'm broke. And we understand what they mean, right? What they mean is, you know, I ain't got nothing except for my responsibilities.
And so that's one word for poor. Now the other word for poor in the Greek is the word petokos. And this word really means absolute object poverty. Okay.
And so this is a person who's lost everything, right? This is the person who is entirely dependent on other people for their very survival and sustenance. This is a beggar. And so when this person says unbroke, literally, they have nothing.
Okay. Big difference between those two, right? So the word that's used in this verse, when Jesus is talking and he says, blessed are the poor in spirit is the second word petokos. Okay.
So when the original listeners to Jesus heard this, let me kind of translate. And I want us to get the full impact of what they would have heard. Okay. So what they would have heard is this, blessed is the man who is broken by utter poverty and must beg to stay alive.
We need to understand the shock value that was there when Jesus made these statements. And they were absolutely shocking. And this first one, maybe the most shocking for them to hear. And they're saying they're thinking, what in the world does that mean?
So here's the revolutionary teaching of Jesus. Okay. When you're spiritually bankrupt. I think I mean, it's like, yeah, here it is.
When you're spiritually bankrupt and you know it, you're actually in the perfect position to receive everything God wants for you. That's this idea of being poor in spirit. When you recognize that you are spiritually bankrupt, that's exactly where you need to be in order to receive God's purpose for your life. Now, there's this parable that Jesus tells that illustrates this perfectly.
Okay. And so we call it the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. And so here's how it goes. Jesus says, two guys came into church one day.
A tax collector and a Pharisee. And he says, the Pharisee came in a little late and he walked down to the very front and took his place during the time of prayer in the temple. Everyone would be praying out loud, kind of softly to themselves. This Pharisee stood in the very front and he raised his arms and he said, Oh, thank you, God.
Then I'm not like these other losers back here. Thank you, God, especially I'm not like that. That's collector that I passed on the way up here to the front. And oh, God, thank you for the many blessings you've given me.
And in the back was this tax collector. And he was kind of, you know, he slinked in and kind of gave a little distance. And he prayed, but it was more softly where that Pharisee wanted people to hear him. And they did respect him, actually.
But this tax collector can beat his chest. And he said, Oh, God, have mercy on me, center. And the moral was pretty clear, right? Who was God pleased with?
But I want us to make sure that we don't just kind of run past some really important stuff. Okay, it's almost certain. Okay, it's almost certain that this Pharisee was a much better person than this tax collector. We need to understand that.
You know, from a moral perspective, tax collectors were infamous in first century Israel. They were infamous for being money extorting men. They amassed a fortune at the expense of others. They were hated by the people of Israel because they consorted with the Roman Empire to collect taxes.
And here's how they did it. If the Romans said, everyone owes $1,000 in taxes, they would come and say, you owe $2,500 in taxes. And they would keep $1,500 and give the $1,000 to the Roman government. That was, you know, the Romans said, yeah, I don't care what you do, as long as you get us our money.
And they did. And they were brutal. And they were hated. And this particular tax collector, really in calling himself a center, it may very well be that he was an adulterer.
And this is likely the first time that he set foot in this temple for years. And it's important for us to understand that this Pharisee, in comparison to this tax collector, would have been a wonderfully moral man who was upright, who was always in the temple, who had a regular prayer life and gave a tenth of his income to God. And in fact, he was a good man as we would see him as good. Now, clearly, this Pharisee, though, was very well aware of his moral superiority.
And while he was good, the problem was that he apparently didn't understand that he could never be good enough to enter God's kingdom on his own. Now, you should have known that because he was aware of the Old Testament scriptures, including something that the really important prophet Isaiah said. And let me read it for you. He surely would have been aware of this, but he hadn't really made it a part of who he was.
In Isaiah chapter 44, verse 6, it says, all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. And so the very best we can be is really dirty in God's presence. Now, this tax collector, by contrast, he knew he was a miserable wretch, that he had failed and wrecked people's lives, and that he needed God. Now, what's the point that we should see?
Why did Jesus use this illustration? Well, Jesus is saying, this is why the kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit. Not because God doesn't love everyone, but because the people who recognize their need for God are the ones who will accept what it is he's offering. See, here's the thing.
This Pharisee didn't really think that he needed God. He thought he had it all together. In fact, it was his morality that actually got in his way. Because he was moral and good and did the right things, he had this air of superiority like, why do we need that?
Why do we need God? Now, he wouldn't say that. It's just why he lived his life and it was reflected in his attitude as he stood there on the front row and said, oh, thank you, God. I'm not like all these other people.
I exaggerate a little bit with the losers thing. But he did say, thank God, I'm not like that tax collector back there. And that air of superiority was what was keeping him from recognizing his spiritual need. Now, by contrast, this tax collector had no such problem.
The fact is that he very much recognized that he needed God in his life. Now, that's why Jesus said in the book of Luke, chapter 5 verse 32, I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent. So being poor in spirit, this is the entry point to salvation. This is where I have to come to a place where I say, God, I realize that however good I could be is not good enough to enter heaven, that I have to be perfect to enter heaven and I'm not.
And I need Jesus to wash me clean and make me new and come into my heart so that I can enter into heaven, not because of the good things I've done, but because of the good things that Jesus did. That's the core of what it means to be a Christian until I come to that place, where I recognize my abject spiritual poverty and my need for a Savior, then I'm not poor in spirit. In fact, I see a lot of people all the time who, this is actually one of their reasons why I don't go church. I'm a good person.
I'm better than a lot of those people. I see a church. I've seen some of those, I work with some of those people, they're hypocrites. Why do I need that?
Well, we can look down on this Pharisee without realizing how easy it is for to have the same kind of mentality in our life. That's not spiritual poverty, as Jesus describes it here in the first beatitude. Okay? So this is the first thing that I realize that it needs to be poor in spirit is I come to Christ through being poor in spirit.
Now, the second thing though, I want you to write this down is we live in Christ through being poor in spirit. So here's where a lot of people get confused though. Okay? And that is, okay, yes, I admitted that I need a Christ and He's coming to my life and baptized.
Now I can move on to just being a good Christian. Well, Jesus isn't simply describing how we get saved in this bad too. Jesus is describing how we live as Christians every single day. In other words, being poor in spirit is not just a one-time admission.
It's a way of life. It's a way of me saying, God, I can't live the Christian life. I'm gonna fall on my face. I'm utterly dependent on you in my life to live out my faith every day.
And when I get away from you, I make stupid decisions and little and big mistakes. And I need to be close to you. And even then I'm gonna fall down sometimes, but I need you in my life. This is what means to be poor in spirit, that I recognize my need for the Holy Spirit's presence in my life in order to live out my faith.
Now, I think about people in recovery. And I went to a retreat a few weeks ago, a redeemed retreat, those of people who are in recovery. And I've had friends for my whole adult life who've been in recovery from alcoholism or narcotics. And there's something beautiful about the mentality of a person who understands their nadict.
Because every meeting they go to, here's what they say. My name is Craig, and I am an addict. Or my name is Jim, and I am an alcoholic. Now, notice they didn't say, I wasn't alcoholic, or I wasn't an addict, it's present tense.
I am an alcoholic. And why would they say that? Because they've recognized, they've learned that the moment they think they've got it all handled on their own is the moment that they're in big trouble. Their strength comes from knowing their weakness.
This is the same thing that a Christian says every day. My strength comes in knowing my weakness. I'm a sinner in need of a savior, and I need Jesus to lead me every single day. This is what the important spirit looks like in the Christian life.
I'm saying, hi, my name is Craig, and I need Jesus today. Here's what Jesus said in John chapter 15 verse 5. He says, yes, I'm the vine, you are the branches, those who remain in me, and I and them will produce much fruit. Here's what Jesus says, for apart from me, you can do nothing.
Now, what would change our lives if we really embraced this being poor in spirit as followers of Jesus? Well, maybe we'd stop trying to impress people with how spiritual we are. Maybe we would stop being so hard on ourselves when we mess up. Maybe we'd stop judging other people because we realize that we're just a beggar, you know, showing other beggars where to find food.
Now, maybe we would start enjoying our relationship with God rather than treating it like a performance review every day. So I'm going to challenge you this week, you know, every day simply to utter a little prayer as you get started. I'm God, I can't do this day without you. God, show me where I need you most today and to lean on you every minute.
So here's the promise when we embrace our spiritual poverty. We discover a spiritual wealth beyond our wildest dreams. When we admit we're spiritually bankrupt, we inherit the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let's pray. Father, this is hard for us. God, we live in a culture that tells us to be self-sufficient, to have it all together and never show weakness.
God, but you say, no opposite. So God, help us to see that admitting our spiritual poverty is not humiliating, it's liberating, help us to stop trying to earn what you want to give us freely. Thank you that your kingdom isn't for people. We have it all figured out for people who know they need you.
So God, make it's poor in spirit that we might be rich in you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, this is the first Sunday of the month and that is our communion Sunday.
And what a beautiful application it is for us here to move into communion. And so we come this morning in communion and we're saying this. God, I'm spiritually bankrupt. I've got to come empty handed and I know that I need what only you can give me.
And that's kind of the message of communion. If I can have my servers who are helping this morning come, this is what communion is all about. Communion is a reflection of what Jesus did with his disciples in an upper room on the night before he was crucified. He took bread and he broke it and he said, this is my body, I'm broken for you.
Take and eat this in remembrance of me and his disciples ate. And after eating, Jesus took a cup and he says this cup is the new covenant in my blood, I'm given for the forgiveness of sins. And I'm drinking this in remembrance of me. And Jesus asked his followers to practice this forever because it was a way for us to recognize that we're spiritually broke without Christ in our life.
I need him not only for salvation but for the ability to walk with him each and every day. So as we come this morning, let's just make that our prayer as we take these elements. God, I need you. I confess my dependence on you today and help me to follow you faithfully this week.
We invite everyone to participate in our community and don't have to be a member of our church. All we ask is that you say, I'm taking a step towards Christ in doing this. So the way we do is we come one row at a time. I'm here to the middle.
One of our servers will give you a piece of bread. You can dip it in the cup, you take that and then you can go back to your seat around the outside. Let's pray. Father, today for these elements we pray and we pray that you would use them to speak to our hearts and give us the commitment to be poor in spirits, people who find great strength and wealth in you this week.
For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.