POOR IN SPIRIT

POOR IN SPIRIT

Matthew 5:3  "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him,  for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The word “poor” here can be either literal or figurative. In this case it is often translated, “poor in spirit.” Either way it is a picture of one who sees his need for help which he cannot provide himself, nor can any human source. God alone can help. God alone can suffice.

Those who are humble enough to see they need God are the ones Jesus is talking about. We live in a world of “self-made men and women.” They take credit for all their accomplishments and claim to have no need of their Creator. In many cases they mock Him and proclaim, “Look what I have built, what I have done.” The Kingdom of Heaven is not theirs. It is reserved for the humble who know they need their Creator.

1.  The poor in spirit are those who are contentedly poor. They are thankful for what they have and set out to use it for God’s glory, but if all they have is taken from them they do not fret for no one can take their greatest treasure from them. No one can remove their Savior, Friend, God.

2.  The poor in spirit are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They value others more than themselves. When others are blessed they rejoice. When others weep they weep with them.

3.  The poor in spirit have no confidence in their own righteousness. They rely fully on the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary for their salvation. They do works of righteousness not to earn God’s love, but because they love God who first loved them. They are confident in His love, keeping their eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Father in heaven, grant that we may hold fast to You, keeping our eyes on Jesus. Help us to hold the things of this world loosely enough that should you see the need to remove them from us, we willingly release them with no sorrow. Rather may we release them with joy knowing that Your love has something better in store for us, knowing that You will never leave us, nor forsake us. Grant also, that we may serve You without fear of punishment, but with love for You. Free our hearts to by humble. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

-The idea for the three points on “poor in spirit” are taken from Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew.

REPENT

REPENT

(Matthew 4:17)  From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. "

Repent:

1) to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent

2) to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins

The above definition is from Thayer's Greek dictionary. When John the Baptist spoke to the Pharisees he said, (Matthew 3:8) “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

Repentance calls for three things:

1. To change our minds so that we agree with God.

a. agree that we are sinners

b. agree that sin as defined by God is heinous

c. agree that to live by God's standards is right

2. To hate our sin.

3. To start living and continue living according to God's standards.

Note this is the message that Jesus preached "from then on." This was and is His Gospel or good news. The good news part is that the Kingdom of God is near, at hand, here right now and you are invited to partake in it. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that there are ways of living that will keep one out of the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, [10] or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5

You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

There is a teaching that says, “All you have to do is believe and you will be saved.” It is based on pulling a few verses from their context and is often referred to as “easy believism.” It is true that one receives salvation by believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and by confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10:9 my paraphrase) But, to believe in the heart means a change in the life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

The heart will change causing a change in the outward actions. A toddler doesn’t believe that touching a flame on a candle will hurt her hand, and therefore she will reach for the pretty glow. Hopefully the parent can persuade the child, but in most cases one touch is what it takes. After that, the child is a believer and that believing will forever after alter her behavior around fire.

Likewise, believing that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin and that God raised Him from the dead, and proclaiming Jesus as LORD will change the heart, which will subsequently change the actions. This is repentance; agreeing with God, seeing sin as He sees it, and changing our actions to match His standards.

Repentance becomes a lifestyle for the believer, daily turning away from evil and turning toward our Heavenly Father. It is continuously seeking His Kingdom and Righteousness.

Father in Heaven, Help us today to seek You, Your kingdom and righteousness. Lead us in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. Keep us from evil.

In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

WORSHIP THE LORD AND TELL SATAN TO GET LOST

WORSHIP THE LORD AND TELL SATAN TO GET LOST

(Matthew 4:10)  "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.'"

Satan here tempted Jesus with another short cut. He was made prince of this world when Adam bowed to him and his temptation in the Garden of Eden. So, what he was offering Jesus was indeed his to offer for the time being. But the offer was a short cut that would have ended any hope of our salvation. God’s plan was for Jesus to beat Satan at the cross by paying the penalty for our sin.

Jesus’ response is to answer again with scripture which is a good reason for us to be as familiar with the Word of God as possible. Read it. Think about it and memorize it.

His response, “'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.’”, goes along with (Exodus 20:3) "You must not have any other god but Me.” And (Deuteronomy 6:13a) “You must fear (reverence or worship) the LORD your God and serve Him.”

On this topic of worshiping only God I like what John Piper says.

“Q 4: Is God an idolater?

A: No. He has no other gods before him.

This is not megalomania because, unlike our self-exaltation, God’s self-exaltation draws attention to what gives greatest and longest joy, namely, himself. When we exalt ourselves, we lure people away from the one thing that can satisfy their souls—the infinite beauty of God. When God exalts himself, he manifests the one thing that can satisfy our souls, namely, God.

Therefore, God is the one being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act, since love labors and suffers to enthrall us with what is infinitely and eternally satisfying, namely, God. Therefore, when God exalts God and commands us to join him, he is pursuing our highest, deepest, longest happiness. This is love, not megalomania.”

http://www.desiringgod.org/conference-messages/why-god-is-not-a-megalomaniac-in-demanding-to-be-worshiped

The other thing Jesus said to Satan is, "Get out of here, Satan," which is a good strategy for us whenever temptation arises. James tells us, (James 4:7) “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Thus I give you this advice, humble yourself to God first, and worship Him first. This will make resisting the enemy easier. Someone once said, “When temptation comes knocking at your door, ask Jesus to answer it.”

Note that Jesus did not argue with Satan. He stated the facts and told him to get lost. It will do me and you no good to carry on a conversation with the evil one. He is smarter than either of us and has a way of clouding our judgment if we give him much time to do so. Therefore, act fast in worshiping God, in fact, make that a daily, moment by moment practice so you are always ready to tell Satan to get lost.

Father in heaven, may we live our lives in a state of constant worship, awe and wonder of You. May the enemy find it hard to speak to us because our hearts, minds, souls and strength are always focused on You. In Christ Jesus holy name we pray, AMEN!!!