Beatitudes #1

HAVE YOU GOT A “POOR” ATTITUDE?

Have you got a “poor” attitude? I’m not talking about a bad attitude, but a poor attitude.

            A bad attitude is a negative attitude or a cynical attitude. Like the bad attitude I had going into Ethan’s grade 9 grad last week. Katy’s grade 9 grad had sub-par food and not enough of it and we were stuck in a dark gym. So, armed with my low expectations I was pleasantly surprised to have good food and great company in a really nice outdoor setting. See, my bad attitude served me well.

            But a “poor” attitude is not self-serving like a bad attitude. A “poor” attitude like the one Jesus commends in Matthew 5:3 is essential to being a disciple of Christ. Having a “poor” attitude means acknowledging that we come before God with nothing. It means admitting that we are spiritually bankrupt when faced with our true condition as human beings before Almighty God.

            Before we explore the heart of this attitude, we need to put it into context. We are starting a summer series on what is known as the Beatitudes. That’s a fancy Latin name for “Blessed.” We want to look at the nine “Blesseds” that begin the Sermon on the Mount.

1. Defining “Blessed”

There is so much that could be said about the Sermon on the Mount. The imagery, the setting, and the importance of what Jesus said and did are heavy with meaning. “Jesus saw the crowds,” or literally, He saw the people, He saw the nation of Israel. So Jesus goes up on a mountain and begins to teach – shades of Moses and the giving of the Law. That’s exactly what Jesus meant to do.

            But notice that those who come to Jesus on the mountainside are His disciples. Not just the general crowd; these are specifically those who came to follow Jesus as their Rabbi. These He begins to teach. To these He explains the Beatitudes. Let’s look at three aspects of the “Blesseds.”

a) The People – The people Jesus describes are not 8 separate people or kinds of disciples – some being meek and others being merciful. They are 8 qualities (8 because 8^th and 9^th are the same) of the same group who are all meek, merciful, etc. This is not an elite group of super-Christians; the Beatitudes are Christ’s expectations of all of us who are called Christian. Just as the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit is one all-encompassing fruit (Love, Joy, Peace…), so also the 8 Beatitudes are singularly the character of a follower of the Lord Jesus.

b) The Attitudes – The attitudes Jesus commends are not literal. That is, we are not called to be poor, to live in poverty per se. Though Jesus does teach that money can stunt a Christian’s growth. But He does not expect us to be poor, or to go around hungry. Being poor and hungry does not make you more spiritual than those who have a full plate. What Jesus refers to here are spiritual attitudes: Those who are poor in spirit; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. These are the ones who are blessed.

c) The Blessings – Please understand that “Blessed” does not mean “happy” as some translations and speakers put it. Happiness is a subjective emotion and Jesus is making an objective evaluation of these people. He is not telling them what will make them feel happy, but what God thinks of them and what they are – blessed. If there is happiness involved it is an internal joy of being blessed by God. And the blessings comingle: It is not possible to inherit the kingdom of heaven without inheriting the earth, or to be comforted without being satisfied. These blessings belong together.

            One more thing bears mentioning. Jesus is not talking to unbelievers telling them how to be happy. The SOTM is for disciples. Go to the zoo and get to the lion’s cage and teach that lion millennial truth.  You teach that lion that he is going to lie down with a lamb and you get it clear in his mind.  Then you take him over and put him in with the lamb.  You know what will happen?  No lamb.  You know why?  That lion will not cooperate on the basis of the sermon.  The lion’s got to have a new nature.  You see?  You can’t preach the Sermon on the Mount to an unregenerate person and expect them to live it.  He’s got to have a new nature.  That all begins with poverty of spirit.

2. What does God want from you?

Have you ever wondered that? What does God want from me? There are standard answers we think of: faith, obedience, service. There must be something I have to do to be worthy of God’s love. Not according to Jesus’ first statement, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (3a). Jesus wants us to have a “poor” attitude.

            There are two words for poor in the NT. The first speaks of a person for whom life is a struggle but manages to get by. They eke out a living. The second speaks of absolute poverty, being destitute, bankrupt. This person has no choice but to be a beggar. This second word for “poor” is the one Jesus uses in the first beatitude.

            In the OT, “poor” meant to be literally poor in material things. But over time, because the poor and needy had no place to turn but to God, being poor came to have spiritual meaning; poor meant “humble dependence on God.”

            So to be poor in spirit means three things:

a) To have a broken and contrite heart. This is the attitude of a person who knows that they have nothing to offer God. We know we can try to bring our good works, our charity to others, our service in the church to God, and still be bankrupt before Him. Like the story Jesus told of the unmerciful servant who owed his master millions and could not pay. We cannot pay God what we owe Him and we know it. But knowing this, we still come before the Lord and beg for His mercy.

            David got this. He said, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:6). Later in this Psalm, David said, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (18). David knew he had no bargaining chips with God. He had nothing in his hands to convince God to act on his behalf. But David begged like a poor man. And God loves that attitude. Not that we should loathe ourselves, but admit what we are – spiritually poor.

b) To have a humble heart. It takes humility to admit that we are not all that we think we are and that we need help. Pride says, “Look at me. I’m a righteous dude. I’ve got it altogether,” like the Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. Humility recognizes that any good there is in me comes from God – it is a gift and I can’t take credit. Pride compares myself to others – I’m not as bad as some people. Humility compares me with God and says, “Look at how far I’ve fallen short of God’s glory.” Humility makes me run to God.

c) To be dependent on God. I don’t often quote the Message but here goes: Peterson translates v. 3, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” A poor attitude is one where we stop relying on ourselves and start relying on God.

            You might be wondering, “Am I poor in spirit?” Do I have that attitude? If I don’t, how do I adopt this attitude?

1) Look to Jesus. Now consider the cross of Christ. There is righteousness. There is the fullness of love. There all your sins were dealt with. When you look at the cross of Christ you realize your own state in comparison with the Lord Jesus. We become like Isaiah when he was in the throne room of God, before the Holy One, and we can’t even stand. That’s a “poor” attitude.

2) Humble yourself. You’ve got to. Confess your pride-filled heart. Do it every day. Recognize again and again that it is only by the grace of God that you live and have what you have.

3) Acknowledge God’s love. Even though you have nothing to bring before the throne of God – you are a pauper in the throne room of God, wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (Rev. 3:17) – God loves you like crazy. Let that wash over you. God loves us the way we are, as we are, with nothing to show Him. And the greatness of His love does the work in us that we can’t do – changes us into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…” (Ro 8:29).

            That’s a “poor” attitude. That’s what Jesus calls “blessed.”

3. What does God want to give you?

Only His kingdom!

            Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. Because they don’t deserve it, God gives it to them as a gift.

            The truth is, God wants rejects for His family. He wants failures, sinners, losers, geeks, and nerds. He wants rejects who see their failure and run to Him for help. To these who see themselves as they really are, Jesus says, “Come right in. This place was made for you.”

            Sure, in the future, all will be made right. But that’s future stuff. No, actually, the kingdom of heaven entered this realm of life when Jesus was crowned King at his death. The kingdom is now! And we who have received the kingdom have begun to know the kingdom of heaven when a kindness is shown, when a stranger is welcomed, when an outcast finds a family of believers to belong to.

            The kingdom of heaven is the reign of Christ in your life. When a Pharisee asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk. 17:20-21).

            The kingdom of heaven reigns in you when you have that “poor” attitude that acknowledges Christ as King of your life. When you accept your status, Christ lives in you.

            Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, tells of passing a little house at a railroad crossing. Inside the house was the flagman for the railroad. As Dr. Chafer looked inside, he saw the man reading a family Bible. Although the door said, “No Admittance,” Dr. Chafer walked in. “I saw you reading the book and wanted to greet you,” he said.

            “Oh, I read that book a great deal.”

            “But are you saved?”

            “No, I’m not. I never could be good enough to be saved.”

            Dr. Chafer thought for a moment and then said, “Friend, if God would make an exception in your case, and give you heaven as a free gift, would you receive it?”

            “I’m no fool mister. Sure, I’d take an offer like that. Who wouldn’t?”

            Dr. Chafer said, “Take your Bible and read John 10:28 and Romans 6:23.” The man read the verses which speak of eternal life as the gift of God.

            “Stranger, I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, but you’ve done more for me than any man.”

            “What have I done?” replied Dr. Chafer, “I’ve got you in a trap. You told me if it was a gift you’d accept it. Now what are you going to do about it?”

            “Well, I’ll accept it right now.” Dr. Chafer led the man to the Lord and went on his way. That’s the simplicity of salvation. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now what are you going to do about that?

            How about adopting a “poor” attitude?

                                                                       

                                                                        AMEN