Beatitudes – The Poor in Spirit

I. The Poor in Spirit
1. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit (vs. 3)
One of the things you notice right away is the contradictions in each statement.
Blessed or happy are the poor?
When is that last time you heard that proclaimed in the broadcasts of our world?
Blessed are the rich seems more appropriate according to the world’s standards.
In fact, the world’s beatitudes might sound something like this:
Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the kingdom of the earth.
Blessed are the happy, for they live in comfort.
Blessed are the bold, for they will take over the world.
Blessed are the satisfied, for they have all they need.
Blessed are the powerful, for they need no mercy.
Blessed are the deceitful, for they see only what’s in it for them.
Blessed are the aggressive, for they will be called victors.
Blessed are the safe and well-respected, for there is the kingdom of compromise.
Therefore we see Jesus, in these beatitudes, turning the normal expectations upside down.
Remember, the Kingdom of Heaven often values the things the world abhors, and the opposite
is true as well.
The Kingdom of Heaven abhors the things the world values.
All 8 statements give us a prime example of the two worlds in conflict.
How are the poor in spirit blessed or favored by God?
Poor (ptochos) means to crouch, cower like a beggar, it describes someone in abject poverty,
utter helplessness, complete destitution.
This describes someone who is powerless to save himself from his condition.
Coupled with “spirit” signifies a spiritual poverty – the spiritually bankrupt, destitute,
impoverished.
It confesses one’s unworthiness before God and utter dependence on Him.
It is found in the person who realizes that he or she can do nothing to save themselves.
This person knows that he cannot buy the favor of heaven.
It is the person who realized they are totally dependent on outside help (God).
This is the kind of person God favors.
Becoming poor in spirit is also what happens to each person who comes into a personal, real
confrontation with God.
Illustration: Visiting the home of a very wealthy man. You know you are someone special and
you didn’t deserve what he has because you didn’t earn it. It’s his stuff.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and
the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)
Isaiah’s response: 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I
live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)
Peter’s response to Jesus: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 (NIV)
1. Poor in spirit is not about comparing ourselves with
others, it is about seeing ourselves in comparison to God.
Pharisees, scribes, teachers of the law VS prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners.
Poor in spirit is the essential step toward salvation.
If we think we are good, upright people and that we can earn our right into heaven then we will
never get there.
On the other hand, if we realize we are sinners and can do nothing to save ourselves then
God’s forgiveness and help awaits us.
Application: Poor in spirit is also essential for daily Christian living – this is the foundation on
which Christian living occurs.
We need to be aware that we still have nothing to offer God in our own power or strength
and that we need God’s help everyday to live for him.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NIV)
The blessing for the poor in spirit is that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Access to the kingdom of heaven is available to those who are poor in spirit.
So the Jesus Code requires that we will not trust in ourselves for salvation.
We must realize that we can do nothing in or of ourselves that will place us in right standing
with God.