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(Matthew 5:3-9 KJV) Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [4] Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. [5] Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. [6] Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. [7] Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. [8] Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. [9] Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

The Bible tells us that Jesus,

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom

As Jesus preached, the broken and hurt came to Him – and Jesus healed them all. Some were diseased. Some were demon possessed. Some were demented. The Bible tells us that great multitudes followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and Jordan. Everybody wanted to be near Jesus. Then Jesus does something unexpected.

While in Galilee (Matthew 4:23) Jesus went up into a mountain.

There are a dozen mountains near the Sea of Galilee. We don’t know what mountain Jesus went up – the Bible doesn’t tell us – but the fact that He went up a mountain is significant. The Bible says:

(John 1:17 NKJV) For THE LAW was given through Moses, [but] GRACE AND TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.

Under the Old Covenant Moses went up Mount Sinai, and there God gave him the Law. The Law was not given to save us, but to lead us to understand we need the Savior. The Bible is very clear that “no one is made right with God by the works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). “By the deeds of the Law no flesh is justified in God’s sight. The LAW GIVES KNOWLEDGE OF SIN” (Romans 3:20). Israel was not saved by the Law, but by faith in God. The Law was given to teach Israel – and us – that our works do not make us right in God’s eyes. “The LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER to BRING US TO CHRIST, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Moses went up a mountain and came down with the Law, a Law which cannot save but diagnoses. Jesus went up a mountain and sat down to teach. God was not giving a diagnostic Law through Jesus. God the Son was going to teach His followers how to be blessed by Grace.

(Matthew 5:3 KJV) BLESSED {makarios}

Word Study: There are two Greek words to note blessing from God. One word, eulogeō, means to be outwardly blessed. This word is used by Jesus in Matthew 5:44, “BLESS {eulogeō, outwardly bless} those who curse you”, telling us that when people outwardly mistreat you, you should outwardly do good to them. When Jesus “BLESSED” food before He had the disciples distribute it (Matthew 14:19), once more we see eulogeō used. Jesus did this so that it was seen. To contrast this, the word we see used today in the beginning of Jesus’ sermon is makarios, which means to be inwardly blessed. Jesus is going to give us the seven characteristics of the spiritually healthy believer.

Where Do You Sit On The Mountain?

When Jesus went up the mountain, people had to follow Him up the mountain to hear Him. Jesus sat down to teach. Where did His the people sit? I suspect – knowing human nature – some sat or stood above Jesus on the mountain, trying to hear what He said. Where did those who wanted to learn sit? We are told:

Matthew 5:1 … His disciples CAME UNTO HIM

Sheep come to the Shepherd. The Pharisees and Sadducees probably came and stood above Jesus, judging His every word. But Jesus sat down to teach … and His people sat down also.

There is no blessing without sitting down and shutting up! When Jesus fed the 5000 hungry followers what was His first command?

(Matthew 14:19 NKJV) Then HE COMMANDED THE MULTITUDES TO SIT DOWN on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

There is no feeding, there is no blessing from God until you SIT DOWN. I see people disfiguring themselves on their faces with tattoos and scars and rings. These people are trying to remake themselves without God. That which drives them is the demon within.

If you continually reject the God of Scripture, the demon within will take over your life. He will do all he can to destroy the property, from the inside out. You need to sit down with Jesus.

(Matthew 5:3 KJV) Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed [are] the POOR IN SPIRIT”. God is not talking about the poor in physical things. It is “POOR IN SPIRIT”. Those who realize how badly they need help. They have tried living life their way, and failed miserably. As the Psalmist said:

Psalm 40:17 I AM POOR AND NEEDY; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my Help and my Deliverer; MAKE NO TARRYING, O my God.

The reason that David was “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because he realized that his only hope was the God of scripture. David failed God many times. When David was fleeing Saul and was found by Achish, King of Gath, David let fear take control. The Bible says:

(1 Samuel 21:13 LSB) {David} disguised his sanity in their sight and acted insanely in their hands and scribbled on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard.

God had promised that David would be King. But in fear he sought to save himself – and shamefully did so. At one point David lost faith in God’s promise, and “said in his heart, I shall now PERISH ONE DAY BY THE HAND OF SAUL” (1 Samuel 27:1). Once David became King the Bible says David numbered Israel (2 Samuel 24:2) though Joab his general warned him not to do so. David committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3-4) and had her husband murdered (2 Samuel 11:14-15). When David’s son Amnon raped Tamar (2 Samuel 13:21) David was angry, but did nothing to punish the boy. In fact, his lax parenting led Absalom to rebel against David, trying to seize the throne (2 Samuel 15:1-14). His poor parenting eventually led to the death of both Amnon and Absalom.

Though David failed repeatedly, each time God disciplined him he REPENTED, saying “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). David sat down at the feet of Jesus, and cast his sin upon the Master.

The phrase “POOR IN SPIRIT” refers to a frame of mind, a person who is humble before God, a person who realizes how low they are in God’s presence. Salvation cannot come unless a person is “POOR IN SPIRIT”. It is a state of humility, of lowliness, a self emptying conviction that we cannot fix ourselves. We must have Jesus.

Jesus started with this “BLESSED”, because this is the foundation of being blessed by Christ. Who were those who came to Jesus? People who had exhausted all resources, and were now giving up. The diseased, demon possessed, demented. When someone is “POOR IN SPIRIT”, they are ready to lay down any resistance, and to come humbled to God for blessing. It is like the woman with the issue of blood. The Bible says:

Mark 5:26 {she} suffered MANY THINGS OF MANY PHYSICIANS, and had SPENT ALL THAT SHE HAD, and was NOTHING BETTERED, but rather grew worse

The woman in her pride tried everything – EVERYTHING – until she lost everything. Then she came to Jesus. She emptied herself of herself, and surrendered to the “Shepherd and Bishop of our souls” (1 Peter 2:25).

Jesus can bless you and give you peace, but first you must empty yourself of yourself. You must be “poor in spirit” before God.

– The Samaritan woman at the well “had FIVE HUSBANDS, and was living with a man not her husband” (John 4:18). She thought she could fix herself with the right man. The only right Man is Jesus. Finding Him, she was made whole.

– The man born blind was only healed when he “washed in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7). After he was healed, and cast out of the Temple by the Pharisees, the Bible says that Jesus came to him “and he worshiped Him” (John 9:38).

– The official Jairus, whose daughter was sick. He came to Jesus only when he was “POOR IN SPIRIT”, as his daughter “lay at the point of death” (Mark 5:23).

“POOR IN SPIRIT” means to operate through the Spirit of God, just as Jesus did. Though God Incarnate, Jesus “cast out demons by the Spirit of God” (Matthew 12:28). Jesus was “led of the Spirit” (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1), though Jesus Christ is GOD (John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13; Colossians 2:9; 1:15-17). The Bible tells us to imitate Christ:

Philippians 2:5-9 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION, and TOOK UPON HIM THE FORM OF A SERVANT and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, and BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name..

To be “POOR IN SPIRIT” is to surrender your mind to God. To stop making yourself the center of the universe. To serve God with all your heart. Just as Jesus did.

(Matthew 5:3 KJV) Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

There is only one Throne in Heaven. You see it in the Book of Revelation:

(Revelation 4:2, 10-11 LSB) … A THRONE WAS STANDING IN HEAVEN, and ONE SITTING ON THE THRONE [10] the twenty-four elders WILL FALL DOWN BEFORE HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE, and will WORSHIP HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER AND EVER, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, [11] “Worthy are You, OUR LORD AND OUR GOD, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Who is in this Throne? It is Jesus. Jesus is the manifest member of the Godhead. Jesus said:

(Revelation 3:21 LSB) He who overcomes, I will grant to him to SIT DOWN WITH ME ON MY THRONE, as I also overcame and SAT DOWN WITH MY FATHER ON HIS THRONE.

Jesus is on the Throne in Heaven (Hebrews 1:8). Jesus is sitting on this mountain as a King. And Jesus says,

(Matthew 5:3 KJV) Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit – not the arrogant. This is the foundation of salvation. This is the foundation of blessing in Christ.

A Proper Foundation Is Marked By Mourning

(Matthew 5:4 KJV) Blessed [are] THEY THAT MOURN: for they shall be comforted.

This is not a reference to the mourning that comes from suffering or loss in this life. Jesus uses the word “BLESSED” (makarios) to tie all these teachings together. Once you realize your spiritual destitution, how lowly you are before God, you MOURN YOUR CONDITION. We see this several times in the Scripture.

When Elijah became frightened at the threat of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2-3), he let fear drive him into the wilderness. Once he stopped running, Elijah came face to face with his own weakness, his failure before God. At that point Elijah prayed, saying:

(1 Kings 19:4 LSB) .. It is enough; now, O Yahweh, TAKE MY LIFE, for I AM NOT BETTER THAN MY FATHERS ..

Elijah mourned his failure, and wanted to die. But God sustained him by sending an angel to feed him (1 Kings 19:5-6), and sent him on to Mount Horeb (here’s another mountain!). On the mountain, God comforted Elijah. He told Elijah:

(1 Kings 19:15-16, 18 LSB) .. Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you will arrive and ANOINT HAZAEL KING OVER ARAM; [16] and JEHU the son of Nimshi YOU SHALL ANOINT KING OVER ISRAEL and ELISHA the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah YOU SHALL ANOINT A PROPHET IN YOUR PLACE. … [18] “Yet I WILL LEAVE 7000 IN ISRAEL, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah mourned his spiritual lowliness – but God comforted Him. And again, when the Prophet Isaiah looked into Heaven and saw God he cried out:

(Isaiah 6:5 LSB) Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, And I LIVE AMONG A PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.

What did God to to comfort Him? The Bible says “one of the angels flew to me with a burning coal from the altar of God” (Isaiah 6:1, 6-7). Touching hip lips, Isaiah’s “iniquity is taken away, and his sin purged”. Only God can purge sin. When we mourn, God will comfort us. He comforts us through the Cross of Christ.

If Heaven Is Yours, Earth Will Be Yours

(Matthew 5:5 KJV) Blessed [are] the MEEK {praus, adjective}: for THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.

Word Study: The word rendered “MEEK” does not mean humble, but it means “to have a gentle spirit, to have a mild disposition”. Jesus used the noun form praos to describe Himself. He said:

(Matthew 11:29 KJV) Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am MEEK {praos} and lowly in heart: and YE SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

Jesus was confident, trusting in the Word of God and the calling that was put on His life. Jesus epitomized strength under control. The “MEEK” are those who know who THEY are, know who GOD is, and stand fast on what God has said. They are confident, not in themselves, but in the power of God to overcome any challenge they meet.We are not to be arrogant with the unbeliever, but certain in the knowledge Christ can save whosoever will. The Bible says for the Christ follower ,,,

(Titus 3:2-5 LSB) … to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, demonstrating all GENTLENESS {prautēs, meekness} to all men. [3] For WE OURSELVES WERE ONCE FOOLISH, DISOBEDIENT, DECEIVED, ENSLAVED to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. [4] But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, [5] HE SAVED US, not by works which we did in righteousness, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes were all arrogant in their faith. But Jesus was “MEEK”, emphasizing the power of God to save. We are only saved because God in His mercy saved us. Period.

What Are You Seeking?

(Matthew 5:6 KJV) Blessed [are] they which do HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS: for they shall be filled (chortazō, saturated).

Those who are saved by Grace, who realize they are spiritually deficit, hunger for righteousness. We despise the sin that so easily besets us.

Once saved, the Christ follower knows that sin is destructive, and that the only way to lasting peace with God and our fellow man is to pursue righteousness – what God says is right.

(Isaiah 51:1-2 NKJV) Listen to Me, YOU WHO FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock [from which] you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit [from which] you were dug. [2] Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah [who] bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.

God blessed Abraham for following Him. God gave him and his progeny the Promised Land, while taking it away from the native pagans living there. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (1 Corinthians 10:26). It is God Who gives life to all, who sets the boundaries of the people (Acts 17:26; Deuteronomy 32:8).

When Joshua followed God and led Israel into the Promised Land, God promised him:

(Joshua 1:3, 5 NKJV) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. … [5] NO MAN SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE; as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua trusted and followed God’s directives – and God blessed him. Other than the failure of Achan at Ai (Joshua 6-7), Joshua was undefeated. And Joshua was not responsible for Ai. Sin in the camp destroyed the people of God. When Joshua retired, he told Israel:

(Joshua 24:14-15 LSB) So now, fear Yahweh and serve Him in integrity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. [15] If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE YAHWEH.”

The way to blessing is to seek righteousness – to do that which God tells you to do. Let us endeavor to do this while we live on this earth.

We will return to the Beatitudes next week. Amen.