2 Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit Who Mourn
2 Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit Who Mourn
3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,(poor in spirit) for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Someone asked me once many years ago“Isn’t Christianity a crutch for people who can’t make it on their own?”My answer was very simple. I said, “Yes.” Period.
What’s Bad About a Crutch? I can’t remember how the conversation went from there. So let me just pick it up here. My return question would be, “Why would the thought that Christianity is a crutch considered to be a valid criticism of Christianity?” People don’t usually look at a crutch and say, “That’s bad. It’s just a crutch.” People don’t in general think that crutches are bad things. Why does a crutch become a bad thing when it’s Christianity?
I think the answer that most critics would give is this: If Christianity is a crutch, then it’s only good for cripples. But we don’t like to see ourselves as cripples. And so it is offensive to our self-support to label Christianity as a crutch.
But Jesus said, Mark 2:1717 When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."In other words, the only people who will ever come to get what Jesus has to give are sick people, people who know that they are spiritually and morally and very often physically crippled.
Everybody Has a CreedAll people believe in something and shape their lives around it. Even agnostics believe very strongly that you ought not to believe anything very strongly, (Agnostic – A person who believes that we cannot ultimately know the answer to our questions about spiritual issues.)which is why it is so hard to be a consistent agnostic. Joseph Earnest Renan once said that if an agnostic were to pray, the prayer would go like this; "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have one" We all have a creed that we live by, whether we can articulate it or not.What is the creed behind the conviction that if Christianity is a crutch, it is undesirable and unworthy of acceptance? I think the answer is this: the creed behind this criticism of Christianity is the confidence that we are not cripples, and that real joy and fulfilment in life are to be found in the pursuit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-determination, and self-esteem.
Any Messiah who comes along and proposes to replace self-reliance with childlike God-reliance, and self-confidence with submissive God-confidence, and self-determination with sovereign grace, and self-esteem with magnificent mercy for the unworthy-that Messiah is going to be a threat to the religion of self-admiration. That religion has dominated the world ever since Adam and Eve fell in love with the image of their own independent potential when they it saw reflected back to them in the eye of the serpent: “You will not die; you will be like God.”
The Creed of Self-Reliance .(Independance)Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet and philosopher who died about 100 years ago, wrote a famous essay called “Self-Reliance.” It captured the spirit of the age, and the spirit of our age.
Trust yourself; every heart vibrates to that iron string. Discontent is the want of self-reliance.(Independance)It is sickness of will.……….Ah-ha! Now we see the creed behind the criticism of Christianity as a crutch.
The real infirmity of the world, according to Emerson, is a lack of self-reliance (Independance).And so, to his dismay, along comes Jesus Christ, not with a cure for the disease, but a crutch! Christ is a stumbling block and an offense to many preachers today -yes, and even to us-because it takes the disease that we hate most, namely, helplessness, and instead of curing it, makes it the doorway to heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What does this mean? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? To find out let’s look at some great men of God in Scripture.
Abraham
In dealing with the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, Genesis 18:2727 Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.Jacob
When Jacob returned to the promised land after spending 20 years in exile, he wrestled with God in prayer and said, Genesis 32:1010 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!
Moses
When God came to him with a mission to lead his people out of Israel, he said, Exodus 3:11; 4:1011 But Moses protested to God, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?"….. 10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled."
The reason God got angry at Moses is not because of his humble assessment of his own abilities, but of his lack of faith in God’s ability. God responded and said to Moses,Exodus 4:11-1211 Then the Lord asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say."
The Answer to the Paralysis of Low Self-EsteemWhat is the biblical solution when a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt or unworthiness or uselessness? I believe with all my heart that the solution is not self-esteem. God did not say to Moses:Stop putting yourself down. You are somebody. You are eloquent.That is not the biblical way. What God said was, “Stop looking at your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at Me. I made your mouth. I will be with you. I will help you. I will teach you what to say. Look to Me and live!”The biblical answer to the paralysis of low self-esteem is not high self-esteem; it is sovereign grace. You can test whether you agree with this by whether you can gladly repeat the words ofIsaiah 41:1313 For I hold you by your right hand- I, the Lord your God.And I say to you, ÔÇÿDon't be afraid. I am here to help you.In other words, God’s way of freeing and mobilizing people who see themselves as not being capable ,is not to tell them that they are beautiful butterflies but rather to say, “I will help you. I am your redeemer . . . Go to Egypt now, and I will be with you.”
William Carey’s Secret William Carey was a doctor,missionary and writer; he did not have high self esteem. He criticized himself again and again for his sin. When the fire of 1812 destroyed dozens of his precious manuscripts, he didn’t blame the devil. He said, “How unsearchable are the ways of God!” And then he accused himself of too much self-congratulation(a way of behaving or speaking which shows that you are very happy about something that you have done) in his labours, and said, “The Lord has infatuated us, he had a right to do so, and we deserve his corrections.”When he had outlived four of his comrades in mission, he wrote back to Andrew Fuller, “I know not why so fruitless a tree is preserved; but the Lord is too wise to make a mistake.” When he died in 1834, a simple tablet was put on his grave with the words he requested. And when you hear these I want you to ask, What was William Carey’s secret? How could he persevere for 40 years over all obstacles-as aordinary man, suffering from recurrent fever, limping for years from an injury in 1817, and yet putting the entire Bible into six languages and parts of it into 29 other languages-what was the secret of this man’s usefulness and productivity for the kingdom? The tablet on his grave reads,
WILLIAM CAREYBorn August 17the, 1761Died June 9the, 1834A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,On Thy kind arms I fall.
The secret for William Carey was not self esteem. He was poor in spirit to the very end. “A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,” he calls himself, knowing very well his sin and failures.
His secret was in the last line of his epitaph: “On Thy kind arms I fall.”This was his secret in dying and this was his secret in living. He cast himself, poor, helpless, despicable on the kind arms of God. For he knew the promise of Jesus: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belong the merciful and mighty arms of the King of kings.My prayer is that all of us here will find the secret of productivity and usefulness and happiness NOT in the pleasures of self esteem, but in the power of sovereign grace. Isaiah 41:1313 For I hold you by your right hand- I, the Lord your God. ÔÇÿDon't be afraid. I am here to help you.
Let's look at more great people from Scripture Who Were Poor in Spirit David“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” Psalm 51:1717 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Everyone agrees that this is the spirit that pleases God after you are taken in adultery and murder. But what about the times when you are doing good?When the collection for the temple was being taken, David prayed, 1 Chronicles 29:1414 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!In other words, even when David and his people were performing an act of virtue, David did not yield to the impulses of self-esteem. Instead he was carried away by the impulses of sovereign grace: “Who are we that we should be able to give anything to God! To God be the esteem, to God! and not to us, even in our virtue.
Solomon
1 Kings 3:77 "Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn't know his way around.
Job
Job 42:5-65 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance."
Isaiah
Isaiah 6:55 Then I said, "It's all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven's Armies."
So we learn from Job and Isaiah that one source of lowliness is to see God in his power and holiness.
John the Baptist
“I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie . . . He must increase, I must decrease” John 1:27; 3:3027 Though his ministry follows mine, I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal."….. 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and lessCould this be why Jesus saidLuke 7:2828 I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!"Mark 9:3535 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
The Tax Collector
Jesus told a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector who went up to the Temple to pray. Concerning the tax collector he said, Luke 18:13-1413 "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ÔÇÿO God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."Which is just another way of saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.“
The Centurion
“When [Jesus] was not far off from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, ‘Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.’ . . . When Jesus heard this, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude, ‘I tell you, not ever in Israel have I found such faith'” Luke 7:6-96 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, "Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honour. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ÔÇÿGo,' and they go, or ÔÇÿCome,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ÔÇÿDo this,' they do it."9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!"
The Canaanite Woman
When Jesus at first refused her request for help, since she was not a Jew, she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” To which Jesus responds, “O woman, great is your faith!”
So we learn from the centurion and the Canaanite woman that poverty of spirit is right at the very heart of what true faith is.
Peter
When he saw the power of Jesus on the Lake of Gennesaret, Luke 5:88 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me-I'm too much of a sinner to be around you."
Paul
Roman 7:1818 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] I want to do what is right, but I can't.2 Corinthians 4:7.7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[a] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.1 Corinthians 3:6-76 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow.1 Timothy 1:15-1615 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"-and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-8)6 "O Sovereign Lord," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!"7 The Lord replied, "Don't say, ÔÇÿI'm too young,' for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!"
What Then does it mean to bepoorin Spirit?It is a sense of powerlessness in us.It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God.It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God.It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God.It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.
The reason I say it is a SENSE of powerlessness a SENSE of bankruptcy, uncleanness and a SENSE of unworthiness, is that, objectively speaking, everybody is poor in spirit. Everybody, whether they sense it or not, is powerless without God and bankrupt and helpless and unclean and unworthy before God. But not everybody is “blessed.”
Who Is Blessed?
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he did not mean everybody. He means those who feel it. That is why it is so appropriate to take the first and second beatitudes together. “Blessed are those who mourn,” clarifies the subjective side of being poor in spirit.
Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn. Blessed are the people who feel their inadequacies and their guilt and their failures and their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness-who don’t try to hide these things under a cloak of self-sufficiency, but who are honest about them and grieved and driven to the grace of God.Blessed are you! because you are going to be comforted. Fear not, Jacob! Fear not, Moses, Jeremiah , Isaiah, Peter! For I will be with you, I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yours is the very kingdom of God. Amen.Next week we will look at Blessed are the Meek