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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 50, DECEMBER 16, 2007 “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT” The first of the Beatitudes that we find in the great Sermon on the Mount is “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew 5:3). When Jesus spoke of the poor, He was not speaking of what a person had or didn’t have, He was describing what a person is, and there is an important difference. In the New Testament, two words are used to express degrees of poverty. One word (ptochos) means total destitution, absolute poverty. The other word (penichros) means having only the bare necessities of life. We could perhaps describe this person as needy. The word our Lord used was the first. Jesus was saying, “Blessed are the spiritually destitute, those who are utterly helpless, for they are the ones who will gain access into the kingdom of heaven.” The point that Jesus was making is this: we must feel our total dependence upon God rather than upon ourselves. We must come to the place where we recognize our absolute spiritual helplessness apart from God. We must reach the point where we are willing to say, as Jeremiah did in Jeremiah 10:23, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps.” Those who are not willing to bow in humble submission to the will of God will never enjoy the blessings of citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Entrance is gained by an attitude of humility and recognition of our own insufficiency. Such an attitude leads us to ask, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” and then being prepared and anxious to do it. There is a beautiful old song entitled “Be With Me Lord,” the first verse of which so aptly expresses the mindset of one who truly is “poor in spirit.” It says, “Be with me, Lord, I cannot live without Thee. I dare not try to take one step alone. I cannot bear the loads of life unaided. I need Thy strength to lean myself upon.” Greg Litmer “BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN” The second of the Beatitudes that Jesus presented in the Sermon on the Mount was “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” This is not a verse of consolation for those who have lost loved ones. Nor is it a proof-text for the “mourner’s bench” idea of praying through for one’s salvation. It is a reference to those who mourn because of sin. It is a reference to those who are mourning over the lost condition of their souls. This describes an individual with a broken heart, broken because of the realization of his sin. To such a one, comfort in promised. It is important to understand that comfort is promised because one who is truly mourning over sin will be moved to do whatever it takes to be freed from that condition. All must come to realize and appreciate how awful, how truly horrendous sin is and the terrible state of the person who is lost in it. When the great prophet, Isaiah, was called to his prophetic office, his first response was, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” This did not mean that Isaiah had been particularly vulgar or blasphemous in speech. It meant that his conscience was keen and sensitive. In Luke 5 we find the account of the Lord telling Peter to let down his net once more into the sea even though Peter had toiled all night and caught nothing. When he obeyed there was such a great number of fish that the net was breaking and not only Peter’s boat, but the boat of his partners as well were so completely filled with fish that they began to sink. Peter’s response was to fall down at the Lord’s knees and say, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). Even though Peter said, “Depart from me,” separation from Jesus was the furthest thing from his mind. It is the extreme expression of humility as he declared himself utterly unworthy of remaining even another minute in the presence of the Lord. Peter’s statement actually contained a fervent appeal that in spite of his human frailty and sinfulness, Jesus would permit him to remain in His presence. That brings us back to the Beatitude. It calls to mind Isaiah’s prophecy found in Isaiah 61:1-3. It says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” Jesus fulfilled that prophecy by making salvation available through His death and resurrection. The second Beatitude is an announcement of that coming fulfillment. In contrast to those who mourn over their soul’s condition is the statement of Luke 6:2, “Woe unto you that are full! For ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep.” These are the ones with no feelings of godly sorrow brought about by their sins. They may be delighting in the things of the world now, oblivious to their true spiritual condition, but eventually they will mourn and weep. For them there will be no comfort.
Greg Litmer
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