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Oct 05 '08
(A Series of Sermons on the Beatitudes)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #2 ... October 5, 2008
“Beatitudes – Poor in Spirit”
Matthew 5:3
I sometimes joke that I’m so poor, “I can’t even pay attention,” or, “I’m so poor, I can’t afford to leave my driveway.” In reality, I did have the experience of growing up in very low income family [explain]; sometimes I felt like the late Bernie Mac, who said, “In my family we were so poor that we ate cereal with a fork, so that we could leave the milk for the next kid.”
I also got to see some other very poor neighborhoods along the way [explain]; but growing up we had so little, even the other poor people felt sorry for us.
As part of my business employment, I travelled to some cities in the world with extremely poor populations, i.e. Caracas, Venezuela, Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico City [explain].
Read Matthew 5:3
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
There are two important words in that passage: blessed and poor
• “Blessed” [makarios] … literally, “to be fully satisfied” or happy
Not because of circumstances, but the indwelling of Christ.
Happiness is due to favorable circumstances
Blessed is only the result of Christ’s presence
Note: The experience of being blessed can grow as the conditions of each of the beatitudes are fulfilled.
• The word translated “poor” is the Greek word ptochos … “to be helpless” … it is helpful to compare it to another word for poor, the Greek word penes …
The penes is poor but can work for food; the ptochos must beg to get food.
The penes can help himself through labor; the ptochos is helpless.
The penes has nothing extra; the ptochos has nothing at all.
i.e. many of the starving people in Africa and India are ptochos … most of the earlier examples I gave were not.
Ptochos describes complete helplessness: and Jesus indicated that the kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who are ptochos in spirit.
In order to be justified before God, you must realize that you are helpless to accomplish a good standing before Him on your own.
This is the heart that is pleasing to God!
Where in God’s Word can we see an illustration of this quality of being poor in spirit?
Turn to Luke 18:9-14. In this story, Jesus provides a clear picture of one who is poor in spirit. He illustrated it the contrasting attitudes displayed by two men, one a Pharisee, and the other, a tax collector.
It begins … “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” (verse 9)
Tell the story …
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.“
o They begin on an equal standing, but their prayers revealed the true state (attitude) of their hearts.
First, there is the Pharisee, Vv. 11-12
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
a. He basically prayed to himself, not really to God
b. He expressed thanks that he wasn’t like others
c. He compared himself to the tax collector there with him
d. He bragged about his personal spiritual disciplines
God should be proud to have him on His team.
Second, there is the tax collector, V. 13
13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
a. He stood a ways back from where the Pharisee was
b. He wouldn’t look up because of conviction of sin
c. He beat his chest, begging for God’s mercy for his sin
God could not possibly want him on His team.
But … consider Proverbs 15:33
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.
How does Jesus evaluate these men, and us? It was by two attitudes and their results.
I. Seeking righteousness by personal effort results in remaining unjustified, V. 14
14 "I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other; … he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Why is that? Because our best efforts fall far short. See Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Yet, 1 John 5:13 say, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Righteousness is imputed to believers by Jesus Christ:
The Pharisee thought that he pleased God.
The tax collector knew that he was a sinner.
II. Viewing your righteousness as more than others’ results in being humbled, V. 14
14 "… for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled”
Our problem is that we can’t trust our heart. See Jeremiah 17:9
9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Joseph Stowell is the president of Moody Bible Institute. The job is obviously very demanding. As a result, people frequently ask him what his biggest challenge is at Moody. Dr. Stowell could share about many great challenges, but his standard answer to that question is, "Me!" When we take the time to humbly and truthfully reflect on the circumstances of life, we must honestly admit our greatest challenge is generally "Me!" [Pastor to Pastor, H. B. London, Vol. 13]
Another example is found in Matthew 19:16-22 …
16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" 17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" 20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Pride is the great roadblock to becoming “poor in spirit” (Proverbs 16:18)
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
i.e. King Nebuchadnezzar’s great fall because of his pride—no city approached Babylon in beauty and magnificence.
But see Daniel 4:28-33
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" 31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." 33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
Marilyn von Savant was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest IQ. She keeps her intelligence in perspective by a motto she often uses: "Remember, we're all biodegradable." [Parade, Dec. 13, 1992, p. 18]
David, on the other hand, had a right heart before God. See Psalm 51:17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
President Ronald Reagan kept a small plaque on his desk that read: "There is no limit to how far a person can go as long as he doesn't care who gets the credit." [The Sensitivity of the Spirit, R.T. Kendall, 2002, p.70]
Pride also gets in the way of effective ministry:
In 1985, a missions organization assigned a family to work in a predominantly Moslem city. After decades of work, this denomination had only produced five small churches in that unresponsive environment. Many thought their talents would be better used in another, more open, area. They were convinced of their call and committed themselves to the work. They didn't know how to reach the city, but they knew God did. So they joined fourteen other believers in praying for the city. During an all-night prayer meeting, they sensed God was telling them he "didn't have any clean vessels to use." They fell on the dirt floor and began confessing their sins. As they did, God revealed everything in their lives that was hindering his work. Revival broke out among this small group and quickly spread. They proclaimed the gospel with boldness. Over the next 31/2 years 132,000 people made professions of faith. When the family returned home for furlough in 1989, 156 churches had been started by new believers in that area which initially seemed so indifferent to the gospel. Spiritual awakening awaits those who seek God with all their hearts. [Fresh Encounter Leader Manual, Henry Blackaby & Claude King, 1993, p. 8]
The only way a person is able to receive the kingdom of heaven is by acknowledging his or her personal spiritual helplessness (a lost sinner) – and ask for help (salvation through forgiveness).
Invitation … to give you heart to Jesus today, acknowledging that you are a helpless sinner. Share the Roman Road. Surrender to His control of your life today (Romans 12:1).
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