"Where to Begin" Matthew 5:3

Preach the Word Podcast

Episode 65

Title: "Where to Begin"
Text: Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Introduction:
What does it mean to be poor in Spirit? 2 Corinthians 6:10 says, "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." The Apostle Paul references the many riches available in Christ despite our poor condition. Christian people are poor in spirit, yet we possess something more valuable than money could ever buy.

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;" - Ephesians 3:8.

“Unsearchable” mean they are unfathomable. Paul is literally telling us that our riches in Christ are too deep to be measured. For a person to truly experience the riches of Christ, we must first become poor in spirit. Charles Spurgeon once said, “You will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything but Christ.”

The Beatitudes begin with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” The poor in spirit describe a person who is spiritually bankrupt. The Puritan preacher Robert Harris once said, "Such poverty of spirit is the starting point of life... God undoes a man before He saves him, mars him before He makes him, takes him all to pieces and then joins him together forever."

“Mike Vetrone was accustomed to luxury sports cars and beachside mansions during his years as a drug runner for the New York Mafia, a lifestyle that is now a distant memory. “With judges, court clerks, and casino officers on the payroll, I pranced through Atlantic City like the mayor,” he says now.1 Yet Mike soon began a descent into a heroin addiction that threatened his life. After a customer discovered that Mike had stolen some of his drugs, Mike packed a bag and fled to Florida. Menacing death threats followed him, intimidation that continued for months. “I remained alone,” he remembers, “bound by my addiction, facing a dismal future.” He began thinking of suicide. “I was now haunted by what was, in fact, a not altogether unpleasant idea of ending my misery with the click of a trigger,” Mike says. ‘My .22 caliber handgun, which was usually within arm’s reach, held a fresh cartridge. After two years, the moment of reckoning had come.’ On an uncharacteristically overcast morning in South Florida, Mike dropped by a favorite haunt, Big Apple Bagel, to pick up what he assumed would be his last meal. Back in his apartment, he flipped on the television, looking for company one last time as he ate. On came a television preacher. With a distinct southern accent, the man exclaimed, “Life has a way of grabbing you by the collar, forcing you down to your knees.” Mike turned up the volume. “There’s a chain that binds every soul,” the preacher exclaimed, “and that chain is sin—an addiction from which Jesus’s death and resurrection sets us free.” Suddenly, as the television evangelist invited viewers to embrace Christ, Mike felt energy pulsing through his veins and found himself shouting at the television, “Yes!” In that moment, he no longer felt alone but sensed an encircling presence. Mike was facing not the end of his life, but a new beginning.” - Castaldo, Chris. The Upside Down Kingdom: Wisdom for Life from the Beatitudes (pp. 7-8). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

The title of the lesson is “Where to begin”. No doubt, a life in Christ as a citizen of the kingdom begins with being poor in spirit .Something to note about the Beatitudes is that Jesus begins and closes them with the Kingdom of Heaven. As discussed in our previous lesson, the Beatitudes are not things that we necessarily do, but are our identities in Christ. As a Christian, we just do not up and decide that we are going to be merciful and hunger and thirst after righteousness. These are the laws of the kingdom that have become our identities on earth because of our new nature in Christ. Remember, Jesus is speaking indirectly to the crowd, but is speaking directly to His Disciples… His followers. For a person to be in Christ, to be “Poor in Spirit” is where to begin.

Outline: “Where to Begin”

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Here are three things:

I. The Poor in Spirit Recognize Sin. Received Christ because we were Broken (2 Kings 5:1-14)

2 Kings 5 is a wonderful application of being poor in spirit. Naaman, a Captain of the Host of Syria, has developed Leprosy and is referred to Elisha by his wife’s servant girl, who was from the land of Israel. Naaman, instead of going directly to Elisha, went first to the King of Syria, who wrote a letter to the king of Israel and sent Naaman with money and riches to give. Already, this story shows the pride of man. Naaman was given “ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.” And went directly to the King of Israel to heal him of his leprosy. The focus was not on his condition of leprosy, but his riches and wealth in order to get what he wanted. The rest of the story shows that the King of Israel is terrified because of Naaman’s request, and Elisha eventually intervenes. In order for Naaman to be cured of his leprosy, Elisha commands him to dip into the Jordan river 7 times. Naaman is very upset and initially it seemed he was going to leave with his leprosy, but is eventually persuaded by one of his servants to listen to the man of God. How does this illustrate Salvation? In order for Naaman to be healed, he had to humble himself. He had to realize his condition, his sickness, his disease. He had to understand that there was nothing that he himself could do or give, and only through faith and Obedience in God could he be healed. Like leprosy, sin is a disease. It is the chain that binds mankind. In order for us to be freed, we must recognize (acknowledge) our sinful condition. We receive Christ as broken people. There is nothing great about the Jordan River. This is a wonderful illustration of how Calvary is a very dark place. To be poor in spirit means we understand our sinful condition. We see Christ dying for our sins and paying a debt we ourselves could never pay. This is a very dark and humble place.

II. The Poor in Spirit Relinquish Self. Rely on Christ because we are Bound (Luke 9:23)

The word bound means limited. Although Christians are new creatures in Christ, we are still limited to what we can do. Paul boldly said in Philippians 4:13, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Mankind, in our nature is very limited. Without Grace, we cannot be saved. Without Grace, we cannot serve. The Lord Jesus told his disciples that “without me, ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) A key part of being poor in spirit is to truly understand that we have nothing to offer God, but ourselves. This is not only true in salvation, but in every aspect of our Christian life. The “self “ can really get in the way and cause us to sin. There are three main enemies that the Bible speaks of. 1.) The Devil. 2.) The World. 3.) Our Flesh.

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:7-8

To relinquish means to “cease to keep or claim something, give up.” (Oxford) what did Jesus mean when he told us to deny ourselves?“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) This means we are to deny our ambitions, our comforts, our failures and follow Jesus. To relinquish self, and rely on Christ means that it is no longer us living, but Jesus that lives in us. These are the marks of a true citizen of the Kingdom.

Going back to our three main enemies. The devil attacks our spirit. He did this with Peter during the denial at the crucifixion. We cannot defeat the devil on our own power, but our told what to do when we are attacked by him. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:7-8 ) The world attacks our soul. To overcome the world, we must use Faith. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) Just like these, only through Christ, can we get victory over the flesh. “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 7:24-Romans 8:1) The poor in spirit, relinquish their self and rely on Christ.

III. The Poor in Spirit Relish Salvation. Rest in Christ as Beloved people

“Who can even begin to appreciate this royal marriage? What can comprehend the riches of this glorious grace? Here, this rich, upstanding bridegroom, Christ, marries this poor, disloyal little prostitute, redeems her from all her evil and adorns her with all his goodness. For now it is impossible for her sins to destroy her, because they have been laid upon Christ and devoured by him. In Christ, her bridegroom, she has her righteousness, which she can enjoy as her very own property.” -Martin Luther

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 )

To relish in something means to take “great enjoyment” (Oxford) The poor in spirit truly understand their brokenness without Christ and their total need for dependence on him. Not only is there great joy in the free gift of salvation, but there is also great joy in a life of abiding in Him.

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:10-11 )

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 )

Conclusion:
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? To be poor in spirit is to be spiritually bankrupt. To understand the inadequacy and helplessness of the human condition. To come to Jesus in our broken state, and fully accept Him as our Lord and Savior by grace through faith. To relinquish our self by following him and allowing him to live through us.

A special thank you to my Pastor, Mike Barnette, for the song “All Things New.” Please support his podcasts by clicking and sharing the links below.

The C.O.D.E. of Man Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Oglxqy35Wg4m4YMfU8Q28?si=074063174e334747

The Way of Holiness Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/08UgdbUrBDZoWWnfiCYxbO?si=oG-EaQzfQMC5GN-N7NaxvA

Daybreak Devotions Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2Z25hqT5DNOZcwBLBXc67I?si=1f1c8f24a3e24618

Also, thank you to my dear friend, Dave Compton, for the opening remarks.