HUMILITY OR SPIRITUAL POVERTY |
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| BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, MAT 5:3. We have spoken about the Kingly authority of Christ and the authority of His Word in our first message of this series. It is important that we do not lose sight of the authority with which He speaks in His Sermon on the Mount. The word blessed, which is the first word in each of the beatitudes, comes forth with the authority of a King. In this message, let's look at Christ's Kingly authority when He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: [and the commission which comes with it] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He gives His Kingdom unto those who are poor in spirit. This is not in any way subject to exception. This was spoken with the authority of the King. The seven beatitudes are distinguishing marks of the work of grace. Some profess that the beatitudes describe seven different paths in which the Lord leads His church. On the contrary, the beatitudes are the distinguishing marks of the work of grace in the soul. When Jesus opened His mouth, He began building the temple of His Kingdom. When the Lord Jesus Christ opened His mouth to bring forth the gospel, He started the building of a Kingly temple. Let's look at the beauty of this temple. Then we can consider the individual steps the Lord used in fitting each stone into the temple. These beatitudes are, in fact, the steps in His staircase by which believers enter the temple, i.e., the body of Christ, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." REV 21 illustrates the Kingdom of heaven as the heavenly city which is the new Jerusalem. V:11 speaks of one of the building blocks, or stones He uses in building His temple, which is the body of Christ. "Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." This chapter speaks of the stones, the walls, and the gates. These are all symbols of the building of the heavenly Jerusalem wherein is the temple, i.e., the King, V:22. Let's consider this as we read REV 21. This chapter refers to the golden reed, the measurements, the wall, and the foundations of the wall. V:20 names the twelve precious stones which point to the twelve tribes of Israel. V:21 says, "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." This chapter shows the twelve separate pearls that are being used to build the wall of the city. Each pearl had a specific place. V:22-23 says, "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." This is showing the Kingdom of heaven in the illustration of a literal city. Let's look at the individual stones that Christ is preparing for the temple from the Sermon on the Mount. In that sermon, Christ teaches us how He prepares each stone for His Kingly temple. The body of believers, that is the body of Christ, is the temple. 1PE 2:5 says, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ prepares the stones which He uses to build His temple. Jesus carves out each individual stone to fit its proper place. This is the preparation of the building of His temple. The seven beatitudes are the steps the Lord uses to prepare each stone for the building of this temple. I will be referring to them as a staircase. These beatitudes illustrate the steps by which the believers ascend into the temple which Christ is building. The seven steps are: 1. HUMILITY MAT 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 2. PENITENCE MAT 5:4, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." 3. MEEKNESS MAT 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." 4. SPIRITUAL HUNGER MAT 5:6, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." 5. MERCIFULNESS MAT 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." 6. INWARD PURITY MAT 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." 7. MAKING PEACE MAT 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." MAT 5:10-16 teach the sacrifical sufferings and the examples these Christians witness before the world. People who are in a hurry to climb a staircase often skip many of the steps. We see this in the professing church today. The first step in this staircase is humility. In today's religion, humility is the first trait of true conversion that is skipped. Humility is against our fallen human nature because in Adam we became proud. Proud rebellion separated man from the Lord. Due to this proud rebellion, proud man wants to skip the first step which leads into the temple--humility. The Lord Jesus Christ built this staircase in His infinite wisdom. He is going to use each step to prepare each stone for its place in His temple by His work of grace in the heart. We won't be allowed to skip one of these steps. The balance of the Sermon on the Mount, MAT 5:13 through Mat 7:27, are the doctrinal pillars of the temple. The beatitudes, the seven steps which Jesus uses to prepare each stone for its proper place in the temple, were the first thing that the Lord Jesus set forth in His sermon. Let's study them first. Jesus opened His mouth and pronounced His blessing upon the first step which leads into His Kingly temple--humility. Pride was born in the Garden of Eden. GEN 3:3-5 says, "But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." What was Satan's doctrine? He said, "...and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." He was telling Eve that God's restrictions were unkind. He told her that she should decide what is right and what is wrong. This is where pride and rebellion were born. Man rebelled against the authority of God's Word in Paradise. This is where man was taught to barter the authority of God's Word for human reasoning! The first step of reconciliation between a Holy God and a sinner, who raised himself up through pride into the place of God, is the restoration of humility and submission to the authority of God's Word. True Godly fear, or a holy reverence for God and His will, is the first fruit of humility. That is the first step in building the temple. It is the first step of the gospel and the first part of the work of grace in the soul. The Lord breaks our rebellion, takes away our pride, and brings us under the authority of the Word of God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," MAT 5:3. Man cannot be brought under the Kingship of Christ in a state of rebellion. The imputed humility of Christ is imparted in the soul by the work of grace. PHI 2:6-8 says, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The first step Jesus took to work salvation for us was to humble Himself. He had to become a servant, humbling Himself before God the Father. The sin in paradise was the desire to become as gods knowing good and evil. Jesus begins with our spiritual disease, which is pride and rebellion in the heart. The evil heart is the root of all sin. Humility of heart is the root of the work of grace. The Lord starts in the inner recesses of the heart. He works with our longings, desires, affections, wants, and the purposes of our life. The Lord gives us a new heart. He gives us new desires. He works a new affection in us for the things of the Lord. The things of this world become sinful in our eyes; then the whole purpose of our life becomes altered. Jesus says in our text, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." What does this word poor mean? The Lord is not speaking of financially poor. This word poor means "public beggars." Jesus is saying these beggars are fully blessed. In LUK 15:14 we read of the prodigal son, "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want." This want turned into a spiritual want. To be financially poor is not the answer. Neither David nor Solomon were financially poor, yet they became spiritually poor. Many times the Lord does bring financial poverty upon us to show us our spiritual poverty. This is what happened to the prodigal son. V:15-17 says, "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" When he saw that his spiritual poverty had brought him to his natural poverty, he came to himself. Then he returned unto his father. V:18-19 says, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." Let's study the word poor in LUK 18:10-14. The Scripture says, "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, [Note how spiritually rich he thought he was; he prayed with himself] God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [This man was poor in spirit.] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The spiritually poor sinner was justified. There is such a contrast between those who are rich within themselves and those who see their spiritual poverty. REV 2:8-10 says, "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)...." In themselves they were poor. They were poor in spirit, rich in the eyes of God. The Lord said that He knew their spiritual poverty, and He said they were rich. "...and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." In themselves, these people were poor. They had nothing in themselves upon which they dare lay any claim, but they were, in fact, spiritually rich. This word poor is a very important word. The word poor is used several places in Scripture, but the original meaning of the word poor in our text is a public beggar. Publicly, this person is know as a beggar. In most other places in Scripture where poor is used, it is related to a working man. He is not a wealthy man, but he has the necessities of life. He is a working man who is not publicly in want. In the instance of our text, the word relates to one publicly known as a beggar. Our text speaks of spiritual beggars who are blessed and who are, in fact, spiritually rich. REV 3:15-18 speaks of the Laodicean church. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; [The Lord Jesus is teaching the distinction between the poor in spirit, who are truly rich, and those who are rich within themselves. Those who say they have need of nothing are spiritually poor.] and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked...." They were wretched and miserable. They did not possess the spiritual gifts which they claimed. They had no knowledge of their misery. They were blind to their spiritual poverty and their blindness. They were naked before God. Jesus gave them good counsel. He said, "...I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire [i.e., 'the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,' 1PE 1:7.] that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment [through the work of sanctification, i.e., turning from sin], that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." We must understand that we need spiritual eyes to see our spiritual blindness, poverty, and nakedness. God will make spiritual beggars of his true people. It is by seeing their spiritual poverty within themselves that they become truly rich. Our text says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." V:19 says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." The Lord is telling this church that repentance is not optional. The Lord will work repentance in the heart through spiritual poverty by His grace. V: 20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." That is so beautiful. The Lord says that He is knocking on our door every day. Every time the Word of God is read, every blessing that He gives us is knocking on our door. Every time He gives us food and drink, He is knocking on our door saying, "...the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance," ROM 2:4. The Lord also knocks on our door with chastisement. If we refuse to hear Him knocking on the door of love, then He will knock through chastisement. He said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." We bring the heavy afflictions upon ourselves by walking in rebellion against the Lord. Jesus does not build with the doctrines of Balaam. 1CO 3:17 says, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." We are the temples of God! If we deliberately walk contrary to the Word of God, God will destroy us. If we willfully do these things, we destroy ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ does not preach the doctrines of Balaam. He does not give us the liberty to claim His blood as payment for the penalty, so we can live in sin. He calls us to repentance. He calls us away from sin and the things of this world. He tells us that we are not to defile His temple. 1CO 6:19 says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" The Lord is telling us that we are not our own. It is not a matter of our choice whether we will serve the Lord or not. "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love," EPH 1:4. When the Lord works His grace in our heart giving us the beggars spirit spoken of in our text, we delight to do His will. Sin becomes sin, and it becomes the greatest enemy we have. Then instead of finding pleasure in sin, it becomes the most dreadful thing that ever came upon the face of the earth. We become afraid of sin because we don't want to offend the Lord. If we are truly poor in spirit, we have a true Godly fear. PSA 112:1 says, "Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments." This word fear means reverence. It means Holy, filial fear. It doesn't mean a slavish fear. This is not talking of us running from hell because of the consequences of sin. It means that we have a desire to do the will of God because it is our delight. We "delight greatly in His commandments." 2CO 6:16 says, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." The first step in preparing us to become one of these living stones in building His temple is to work humiliation in the heart. Our Master Builder breaks down rebellion and pride in the heart and replaces it with humility of spirit. Upon His entrance into His ministry, Jesus' first work was cleansing. MAL 3:2-3 says, "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." Let's stop and ponder that. He will purge them in the furnace of affliction as silver and gold, so they may offer the righteousness to the Lord. The word righteousness there means "conformity of life to the Divine law," Webster. This righteousness is what the apostle Paul spoke of in ROM 12:1-2. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." The first step of offering "unto the LORD an offering in righteousness," is breaking the power of rebellion and sin. This is the first step of humiliation which leads to that beggar's spirit. MAT 21:12-13 says, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." This Scripture speaks of those who steal promises from the Word of God out of their context, and then apply the promises to themselves totally contrary to their meaning. These thieves are the ones the Lord drives out. God does not allow anyone to receive His promises that are in Christ Jesus who do not come in His ordained way; the first step of which is humility. Outside of the Spirit's work of breaking the power of sin by working grace in the heart and granting repentance, no one can enter into the promises. The first work of the Spirit is to convince His people of their sin and work sanctification in the soul through His cleansing process. This regeneration works humility in the soul. Proud rebellion was the first step away from God. Humility and submission to the Kingly authority of God's Word is the first step toward reconciliation with God. Humility is the first element of holiness, and without holiness, "...no man shall see the Lord," HEB 12:14. If we have missed that first step, we have missed the strait and narrow way. Then, at best, we are only in the church professing Christianity. EPH 2:21 says, "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." When Christ builds the temple, He uses stones that make it Holy. He isn't going to build His temple with the rebellion, wickedness, and corruption of our heart. The building will be built with holiness. EPH 2:22 says, "In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." That Holy temple will be the Kingly temple of Christ. The lively stones of His church are used to build the temple that He will dwell in for eternity. His place of habitation will be built in righteousness. When Jesus opened His mouth saying, "Blessed," in the beatitudes, He opened those blessed truths which had been sealed with seven seals since the foundation of the world, REV 5:1-14. This word blessed was spoken with the authority of the King. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This word poor has more than one meaning. LUK 21:2 says, "And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites." This is dealing with money. This word poor comes from the base word peno in the Greek. It means: "Necessitous; to toil for daily subsistence; [a working man]; straightened by circumstances in private." This is not talking of a public beggar. It is talking of someone in the lower, poor class. This is someone living at the poverty level, but who had the necessities of life. MAT 5:3 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This word poor comes from the base word ptosso in the Greek. This word means: "a beggar; as crying; pauper; strictly denoting absolute or public begging." These are two complete different words. We must understand that when we are speaking of spiritual poverty, we are speaking of the beggar class. When the Lord undresses His people of all their own righteousness, they learn to see their spiritual nakedness. They can add nothing. They have nothing to offer. They are public beggars. All their righteousness becomes filthy rags, and they have absolutely nothing to offer from self. Spiritually, they are so totally poverty stricken that they are public beggars. Those who are declared as blessed in our text become beggars at the throne of grace. Jesus opened His mouth with Kingly authority, "saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit...." It is so blessed that He could say that with such authority. He was saying that those who are empty in themselves are blessed. Those who have been made to cry as the blind man, saying, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me," LUK 18:38. They have nothing to offer within themselves because they have been brought to be public beggars. They have only one plea to make, and that is the Publican's prayer, who "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner," LUK 18:13. The Lord makes spiritual beggars out of His people by showing them their miserable condition outside of Christ. In JER 31:9-10 we read, "They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them...." The Lord takes away all the dross. He takes away everything that we can build in ourselves. This is showing the spiritual poverty. These people have nothing to offer within themselves. "...I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock." This verse shows how the Lord will work in the heart of His people. They will come weeping over their sins, and He will lead them with supplication begging for mercy. V:11 says, "For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he." We are all under the captivity and power of Satan. We are all under the captivity of sin and our own hard heart. This verse means that the Lord has redeemed Jacob with the price of His blood. The Lord brings them to spiritual poverty to understand their need of redemption. The Lord's people will weep over the bitterness of their sins against such redeeming love! ZEC 12:10 says, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." When the Lord does pour upon His people the Spirit of grace and supplication, they see their spiritual poverty. Then they understand that it was their sins that pierced their lovely Lord! The Lord said, "...they shall look upon me whom they have pierced...." If you understand your sins, then you never have hard feelings toward the person who hung Christ on the cross. ISA 49:16 says, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Then we can see that our sins have engraven those scars in the palms of His hands. We look upon Him whom we have pierced with our sins. Oh, beloved, a faith's view of our Saviour in His bloody sweat, of His pierced hands and side to redeem us from our sin, works humility in our hearts. In our spiritual poverty, we have nothing but praise and thanksgiving to offer. When we look on Him whom we have pierced, we shall mourn for Him. The Lord said, "...they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." We see the bitterness of sin. We see that it was our sins that pierced Him and hung Him on the cross. When we see the sinfulness of sin, we become true spiritual beggars. We can see that the only hope we have of standing righteous before our Heavenly Father is in that blessed blood and perfect obedience of Christ being imputed to us. Then we see we have nothing to offer within ourselves. MIC 6:8 says, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" This humility is the fruit of Christ's righteousness being imparted in us. Breaking down the power of rebellion and pride is the first step in the work of grace. David saw that his house had sinned so grievously. In 2SA 7:18 we read, "Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?" See the spiritual poverty of David? He saw how his own children had sinned so greatly. David saw that his son had forced his sister, who was latter murdered by his brother. David saw how that his own son tried to murder him. He saw the many sins of his household, and he saw his own sins. David saw his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba. The Lord had just spoken to him of all the rich promises. David's kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom. "Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?" When David saw his emptiness he asked, "Who am I...and what is my house?" David had nothing in himself. He saw his spiritual poverty, yet he was so rich. In himself he saw how empty he was, and he was overwhelmed by the rich blessings God had given him. Those who are poor in spirit are so rich! Our text says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." When we, like David, understand this spiritual poverty, then we will say with David, "Who am I?" King Hezekiah teaches the blessedness in spiritual begging! ISA 38:12-18 says, "Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. [He didn't have a thing to offer for his deliverance.] What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. [Here we see the language of a spiritual beggar.] O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. [His spiritual poverty was revealed to him in what he had gone through. The blessedness is when the Lord shows us our spiritual poverty before Him.] Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth." MAT 15:22-28 teaches us how the woman of Canaan found the Pearl Of Great Price through becoming a beggar in her spiritual poverty. "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [See how this poverty brought forth such a beggar's plea!] Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, [See her humble confession!] Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." This shows the blessedness of spiritual poverty. This woman was as a dog or beast before him. Jesus answer to her showed she was blessed. She was poor in spirit, but she was rich in humble faith. The Lord keeps His people humble. We see this in the apostle Paul. In 2CO 12:7-10 he says, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." The apostle did not understand that God's good purpose in these things was to keep him humble, and he prayed that they should be removed. Paul said, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." The blessed fruit of spiritual poverty is Godly fear, i.e., a holy reverence for God and His divine will. The Psalmist's humble prayer of praise in PSA 112:1 begins with, "Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments." In HEB 5:7-9 we see the holy reverence the Lord Jesus Christ had for His Father's will as He became a beggar that we might become rich. "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; [He wasn't afraid. This fear was a holy reverence for the Father's command. He bowed to His Father's command and '...became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,' PHI 2 8.] Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." He was heard in that He feared. LUK 22:41-44 says, "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, [See that Holy Reverence for His Father's will!] but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. [He was heard in that He feared, i.e., in that He reverenced His Father's will! See how our Saviour became a beggar!] And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." See how poor our Saviour became, so we might become so rich! 2CO 8:9 says, "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." Oh, beloved, the human tongue cannot express the richness in the poverty of Christ. He became so poor that He sweat great drops of blood as He was begging! Through His poverty we might be made rich. Christ says in MAT 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." It is so blessed if we can understand that humility. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Now the Lord says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," MAT 5:3. Amen. |
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