“Blessed are the Poor in Spirit” Matthew 5:3
“Authentic” – 1. not false
or copied; genuine; real: 2. having the origin supported by unquestionable
evidence; verified: 3. being what it claims to be
In the Beatitudes, Christ draws his followers aside
and begins to share about the special kingdom that he is establishing. Jesus paints the picture of an Authentic
Believer.
Few things in this world have been counterfeited
as much as Christianity.
Christ wanted His
followers to know what the Kingdom man IS as well as DOES.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" v.3a
The Greek word for “poor” means abject and complete destitution.
“in spirit” does not change the meaning of "poor," it merely defines and directs it.
There must be an emptying of
our lives before there can be a filling. We must become poor in
spirit before we can become rich in God's blessings.
Poor in Spirit is the opposite of Pride...self-assurance,
self-reliance.
To be poor in spirit, we discard
ideas of our own goodness and spiritual self-sufficiency, or any other
thing that stands between us and God.
Humility is not the putting down of our
personal qualities but being unpretentious about our life.
A proper
vision of God and self will result in being “poor in spirit”.
The
natural response of meeting God is brokenness.
Always
remember, God's desire is to lift us up, not keep us down.
"For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" v.3a
The Kingdom
of Heaven is the consequence of being poor in spirit, not a reward
for it.
Kingdom of Heaven = Wherever God is reigning.
To possess
the Kingdom is to be possessed by God.
As "pride is the root of all evil",
so "poor
in spirit" is the foundation for all spiritual blessing.
