Scripture: Matthew 5:3;
Matthew 6:19-24; 2 Corinthians 8:9; James 2:1-5
Today is not
only the first day of a new year, it is also the first day of a new sermon
series, which will be based on the Beatitudes.
These verses are the introduction to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount - the
greatest amount of continuous teaching that we have throughout the gospels, and
contains some of the most recognizable, re-quoted, and challenging passages of
all.
Each week until Lent, we will consider the message
that one of the Beatitudes contains through the examination of one of Jesus’ “Sermon” passages, as
well as other related scripture. The
teachings of Jesus must always be a priority for our lives (Matthew 28:18-20), and these verses are an important part of
all that He wanted us to learn and follow.
So today, we begin with the first of these 9 lessons – that being “poor”
with the Lord will never be a bad thing, and that when He calls us to be
“poor”, He is making a distinction between the attitudes of earth and the glory
of heaven, and as we move through these 9 “blessings”, we discover that Jesus
is all about reversing the value classes of earth to more closely align with
those that God would consider appropriate.
And just a thought on the word “blessing” itself –
this word that comes to us from the Latin, implies the conveying of a “privileged
condition”. Obviously, as we will see in
these few verses, the “privilege” that Jesus is speaking about is living as a heavenly attribute and through a Godly attitude, and not in what the world would
consider as an advantage. But then, is
there anything about Jesus that the world would ever choose for their
own life?
Read Matthew 5:3
First, we have to understand that “poor in spirit”
does not imply a deficiency in faith!
It is referring to our attitude and position in the world. Being poor in spirit means that we understand
that our needs are great, and that there is no place in faith for an arrogant
heart, a strong ego, and an ever growing sense of self-worth. It means that we acknowledge that we have no
control over our life in the present, and that our future destiny is completely
in the hands of our Almighty God.
This is what defines our identity in the life we are
living – that it isn’t where we are now, but rather what we are striving for in
the better life that faith in Jesus will bring.
What is there about this other “kingdom” that we should strive to
gain admittance to it? Primarily, that
the one we are currently in is going to come to an abrupt end one day, while
the one that Jesus is speaking about will be eternal. The one
that is our current home is under the leadership of humanity, while the one
that Jesus offers is under the authority of God. Now, we only know imperfection, but then, we
will be immersed in righteous perfection.
Here, we only know division and divisiveness, then we will know perfect
unity. In this place we strive to gain personal
success and authority, then we will know what it truly means to “make it
to the top”!
And this is only the beginning of what the glory of
heaven will be like.
Read Matthew 6:19-24
Let’s begin consideration of this passage in the
middle of it, with what it means when we read that “the eye is the lamp of
the body”? Normally, we see the eye
as the means to receive images, not to shine light on them. But in Jesus’ day, people believed that the
eye revealed the things of earth in the context of what the person’s mind
wanted it to mean – this is akin to today’s concept that truth is never
absolute, but is relative and unique, appropriate for each person individually,
and that we are to respect their understanding, even when it goes against our
own.
So in this regard, our next thought is to discern
the difference between the treasures of earth and those of heaven, and why
Jesus would differentiate between them.
It all comes back to the full truth and benefit that we see in each
one. What do the treasures of earth gain
for us? It all depends on what benefit
each of us sees in them! Does social
prestige bring with it a greater and more enjoyable life, or does it simply place
a greater burden of responsibility and cost on us? Does greater wealth provide us with an easier
and joy-filled life, or does it create more fear and agony through the
anticipated loss of its false security?
The ”rust and moths” that Jesus tells us will attack
and destroy our worldly treasure aren’t literal, of course. They are thieves, they are human mistakes, they
are societal deterioration in value, and loss of confidence in their worth to our lives. It all depends on the priority that “the lamp
of our body” places on each one, and the worth of each will change as our
spirit changes direction through the living of a life in Christ.
And the things of heaven? Their worth never changes, and our perception
of them will only grow stronger through understanding with each passing
day. And as to our vision – when our
focus changes from the ways of earth to the ways of God, our “eyesight” begins
to reorient their perspective from our own personal and human desires to the
truth that the Lord reveals in our life.
Is our eyesight clear so that the truth that appears
to us is Godly in form, or are we still focused on our own desires? God’s vision is always best, regardless of which
kingdom we are living in!
Read 2 Corinthians 8:9
So here again, we consider the purpose and extent of
heavenly riches versus worldly poverty, and apply them to the greater picture
of faith. In this verse, we discover
that it is through grace - the kindness, the generosity, the love of God
- that our salvation is made possible!
And in the grace that defines the very character of Christ, He took His
authority, His glory, His exalted position, the respect and honor that should
always be His, and set it all aside in favor of becoming “poor” for our
benefit.
Jesus humbled Himself, that we might become worthy
of sharing in the glory that we have never deserved and which has never been
ours in the first place! In spite of the
life that we have lived, regardless of how good or bad it may have been, glory
only comes to us through faith in Christ.
Honoring the Lord by living a righteous life is no longer the means for
God to bless us with eternity – it has now become solely a matter of faith in
Christ, and in our trust and obedience and love of Him, we can now enjoy the “blessing”
of God through Jesus Christ – being no longer poor in divine Spirit, but now poor in
the world, as Jesus Christ was, and now blesses with the riches of heaven.
Read James 2:1-5
And
now, we are to honor the heavenly wealth that we now have, by bringing God’s
blessings into the lives of others, just as the Lord Jesus did for us! No more honoring others in worldly ways and
for worldly purposes, but doing it all through the example of Jesus. James writes that if we fail to live in this
way, we are nothing more than being discriminatory and judgmental!
No
longer poor, no longer worldly, no longer bereft of grace, but solely by faith
and obedience to the way of Jesus, we are now filled to overflowing with Godly
hope, love, and Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-26) – the love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. And never keeping any of
it for our own glory, but offering it to all of the “worldly wealthy” of Earth,
that they, too, might consider the hope and blessings that Christ has prepared
for them!
By
the divine love that we now live and share, may others come to know the riches
of our Eternal and Almighty God!
