By Nick Bibile

Every Christian should read the Beatitudes. By the way what is the meaning of Beatitudes? It means supreme happiness. Doesn’t everyone looking for happiness? True happiness is not found in material things but in spiritual. Beatitudes will show the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian. Beatitudes will change the character of a person. The Beatitudes are organized in a perfect order by our Lord. They are all linked and come from each other. It climbs from step by step.

Matthew 4 temptation by Satan, the battle in the wilderness.

4:17 after the victory over the tempter, began to preach

4:19 calling of the disciples, fishermen are going to be converted to fishers of men.

4:25 Great multitude followed him

5:1-2 opened his mouth

Who opened the mouth of the holy prophets? Didn’t Moses say he couldn’t talk? Didn’t Jeremiah say he is only a youth? Didn’t all the prophets say, “Thus says the Lord”

Now God clothed in man, the tabernacle of the Old Testament is manifested in Jesus, God Man Jesus himself is going to teach by opening his mouth.

What is the last word of the Old Testament? “Curse” now what is the first word of this sermon of the Lord? “Blessed” Difference between the word Curse and Blessed.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This is not talking of literal, being literally poor. The Bible doesn’t teach being poor is a good thing. Doesn’t teach that being poor you will go to heaven. Doesn’t talk of your poverty or wealth. But the poverty of spirit. There is a difference between the kingdom of this world and kingdom of heaven. There is a difference between the Christian and the non-Christian.

Thomas Boston the puritan preacher said there is blessedness in reverse here. The world say, blessed are those who are rich, wealthy, famous, noble, millionaires. But the Lord said, blessed are those who are poor in spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit is those who see themselves there is no goodness in them. The poor in spirit is to be taken spiritually. They see they are sinful before God, they are bankrupt before God. Their sins convict them and brought to their knees before God. The tax collector who said, 'God be merciful to me a sinner’ (Luke 18: 13). Apostle Paul said 'That I may be found in Christ, not having mine own righteousness’ (Philippians 3:9).

The world says, ‘believe in yourself, self confidence, self reliance, trust in yourself’ it is very sad to say, the poor in spirit is not even popular in most of the churches today. Many churches trust in their wealth, self confidence of their money, poor in spirit is not taught to the church and that’s why the church is becoming worldly, the church wants to copy not the Lord Jesus but the Hollywood actors, worldly singers, worldly rich and famous people as the church wants to copy of these personalities.

When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on the throne in his majesty, he said, ‘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 my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isa 6:5)

Poor in spirit is true humility. When you hear the word of God in its real form, how great and exalted, power and the holiness of God, you will see how wretched, pitiful, and poor in spirit you are before the Lord. When the Lord spoke to Gideon saying, Gideon will be used to save the children of Israel from the Midianites. Gideon did not say, ‘yes my Lord, I am strong and I am the best qualified person for the job, I have confidence in myself’ No, instead he said, ‘ O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my tribe is the weakest in Manesseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ (Judges 6:15) Here you see a man with a poor in spirit and not a prideful spirit.

David said to king Saul, 18 And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” (1 Sam 18:18)

When God called Moses from the burning bush to lead the children of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh, Moses showed his unworthiness for the great task.

We see in the New Testament, when God called Peter, 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8)

Apostle Paul said, Philip 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

He that is poor in spirit is a Christ-admirer. He has high thoughts of Christ. He sees himself naked and flies to Christ that in his garments he may obtain the blessing. He sees himself wounded, and as the wounded deer runs to the water, so he thirsts for Christ’s blood, the water of life. Lord, says he, give me Christ or I die. We need to realize our natural condition is we are naked, poor and miserable and we lie at the gate of God’s mercy.

Why did Christ put this Beatitude first? Answer is Christ wants to show us the poor in spirit is the very basis and foundation of all the other graces to follow. There are no fruits without the root, and so this is the root for all other Beatitudes. Till a man is poor in spirit, he cannot mourn. When a man sees his own defects, sins and weaknesses see himself undone, lost, he deserves punishment from God, he deserves hell, and then he mourns after Christ. Till a man be poor in spirit, he cannot 'hunger and thirst after righteousness'

You cannot come to Christ unless you see your own filthiness of sins; see your unworthiness before the holy and majestic God. See that you are in spiritual poverty, your emptiness and say to him, ‘nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Come now, repent of your sins and fall at the feet of our Lord and Savior Jesus.