Matthew 5 records
eight “beatitudes,” or statements of blessings, that JESUS pronounced during His Sermon on the
Mount. Each beatitude identifies a character type or disposition and assigns a
specific blessedness to it.
Biblical scholars generally agree that JESUS’ beatitudes represent the Christian lifestyle and that all these blessings apply to all Christians.
The poor in spirit, the peacemaker, the pure in heart, are not character types to
be assigned to distinct and separate groups but these are who we are, or ought
to be, as children of GOD.
The first beatitude JESUS names refers to the “poor in spirit”
– Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3.
What does it mean to
be poor in spirit?
Many places in GOD’s WORD assures GOD’s children of access
to all the “riches” of the heavenly Father who will give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:11) – that He will care for us and we will lack no good
thing. (Psalm 23 and 34)
All of this is fact, but JESUS’ concern in the beatitude is
not about our material possessions and comforts but with the total bankruptcy
of spirit that a person must arrive at to drive them to seek out GOD’s saving righteousness
that comes through CHRIST JESUS.
We are the poor in spirit who:
- Recognize we are utterly destitute spiritually, that nothing good dwells in us (Romans 7:18), and we can do nothing to deliver ourselves from our dire situation.
- Humbly acknowledge that, our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately sick…(Jeremiah 17:9 ), and that our status in life is woefully inadequate to change the gravity of our situation.
- Admit all of the above before we can come to GOD in faith to receive the salvation He offers.
CHARLES H. SPURGEON
puts it like this, “…you must know the
bitterness of sin before you can know the blessedness of forgiveness!
What is the kingdom
of heaven?
The “kingdom of heaven” essentially means salvation by which
we are assured eternity in heaven with GOD when we die (Romans 6:23) and abundant life with GOD here on earth – John 10:10.
The kingdom of heaven is GOD’s gift to us – we receive His grace
through our faith so we are saved not by any works that we do…”For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8. By this saving grace
we are children of GOD.
If we do not perceive
our wretchedness and poverty, we will never know how desirable is that remedy
that Christ has brought to us or approach him with proper warmth of affection.
As soon as we know that we are ruined, aware of our wretchedness, we eagerly
run to avail ourselves of the remedy, which otherwise would be held by us in no
estimation. In order, therefore, that Christ may be appreciated by us, let us
each consider and examine ourselves, so as to acknowledge that we are ruined
until we are redeemed by Christ. ~JOHN
CALVIN
We must recognize our sinfulness before we can understand
our need for a SAVIOR.
Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Holy Father, our LORD and our GOD
whose mercy never runs out and whose love is unfathomable, may we always recognize
the utter worthlessness of our own spiritual currency and the inability of our
own works to save us. May we cease to strive to attain in our own strength what
we can only obtain through YOUR gift of mercy and grace; may we humbly acknowledge that we can be saved only though our LORD
and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Remind us constantly that our true worth is in CHRIST alone and by Him alone we have eternal life, both here on earth and in heaven with YOU. Thank you for faith to
trust YOUR WORD. Father, I pray also that every person who reads this post will
know the love of GOD that is wide and long and high and deep enough to save every
soul. For YOU so love the world, that YOU gave YOUR only SON, that whosoever
believes in Him would be saved to everlasting life. To you, Father, be dominion
and power for ever and ever, in JESUS’ Holy NAME. Amen.
Always by God’s Word and prayer,
Cecile
No comments:
Post a Comment