Matthew 5:1-5

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

Jesus shows the way to revival

“So, if you haven’t heard the announcements, next Sunday, we’ve done it in the past, and I know some folks wonder, and I’ve even wondered in the past, but on Halloween we have in the past just had a little Harvest Fest, Life Fest whatever you want to call it.  And not in any way trying to promote Halloween, but as an opportunity just to be in the midst of that, to love people, reach out to the kids and share the Gospel, using the opportunity to share the Gospel.  So next Sunday that’s what’s going on, and if you want to be part of that there’s a meeting on Thursday…you can sign up and can help be part of the planning, and something to keep in prayer between now and then.  I’d like to say a word of prayer with you too again, as we prepare to read our text here, Matthew chapter 5.  ‘Lord, just want to thank you, as we are able each Sunday morning to come together as Christians and brothers and sisters in Christ, to gather and to sing songs to you Lord, worship you Lord.  But also then to sit down, and in a sense, Jesus you’re not physically here, as you were 2,000 years ago on this earth, but you’re in our hearts.  So in a sense, like then too, we gather around you, the Great Teacher, to let you teach us and to minister to our hearts.  And so, as we look at the text together again, give us those eyes and ears, that we’re receptive to you.  And we know, Lord, as we study through, and even the passage here, it’s so powerful Lord.  And it’s truly by the grace of God that we are able to appreciate the depth of what is here.  And so Lord, I would just ask in your grace, your blessing as we go through these things and truths that we’d have a better appreciation of what these really mean.  And they would not only be something that we comprehend in our minds but they would be something truly deep into our hearts, and so transforming…So Holy Spirit, be upon all of us, and upon myself now as we go through your Word, in Jesus name, amen.’

The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12, “And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain, and when he was seated his disciples came to him.  Then he opened his mouth and taught them saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Last week we read as Jesus was going around the area of Galilee and he was ministering, powerfully, and blessing lives.  And we were told that he was ministering primarily in three ways, he was preaching, which he did we assume in the streets and villages, outside the church, outside the synagogues.  And then he was teaching.  He was preaching and he was teaching.  And it said specifically he was teaching in the synagogue.  So he’s there with God’s people, edifying, building up God’s people.  And then thirdly, he was healing all those who came to him, and as a result, it stated that his fame spread widely.  [And this healing was another part of the preaching of the Gospel, sort of a two-part Gospel proclamation ministry]  So his reputation, people were coming from all over, hearing about this man who taught with such authority, but also who---‘Now if you could just touch me Jesus, heal me’---he was healing just everybody that came.  Now we read here in verse 1 of chapter 5, we see that Jesus sees the multitudes and decides to travel up onto a nearby mountain.  And what we then learn in Luke, Luke has his version of this, we then learn in Luke, Luke says he then comes down to a lower level, we presume somewhere on the side of the hill, to a level area, and is there in verse 2 where he’s seated, which is the teaching position for the rabbi, in the Jewish culture, that’s a teaching position.  So he’s seated as a teacher and begins to teach.  In fact, Luke says he looks toward his disciples, he looks toward them, and then begins to share these truths.  Now what follows, in my Bible, verses 3 to 12, are the words of the greatest Teacher ever, in fact, arguably the greatest sermon ever, words that have been pondered and meditated and considered on every corner of this globe since.  Words repeated in the huts of Africa.  I was with my sister yesterday, she was just in Africa.  Words repeated in the huts of Africa, in the jungles of South America, the palaces of Europe and Asia, sky scrapers that dot the Pacific Rim, to the homes and cities and towns all across our country, words repeated off the lips of farmers in the Midwest to the factory workers of the northeast, single moms in the South, to even the President of the United States [George Bush, at this time], as he stands on the steps of our Capitol, these words have been so often shared, so frequently stated.  And they are so powerful, so powerful.  They have transformed many a searching heart throughout the centuries.  And it is true for you and I, it’s a goal when we come together, these words can transform our lives, there’s no doubt about it.  Yet these truths that are here stand so contrary to what society tells us is so vital, so important for us to be.  This is certainly not Carnegie’s ‘How To Win Friends and Influence People”.  Rather in stark contrast to these philosophies, Jesus shares truths, that as you scroll down through them, as we read, when you get to the end you see they’re far from being appreciated by the world.  So very different.  Nevertheless, when what is here becomes a reality in our lives, it is in fact the greatest life that you could ever live.  For those who do, and become what is here, they have learned what it is to be like Jesus.  For the truth that is here, the truths that are here are one with the Truth Himself, Jesus, the Truth.  And they are what the citizens of heaven are all about. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

Now we hear a whole lot today about self-esteem, being confident in yourself, as if it’s the solution to so many of our personal issues and struggles and fears and anxieties.  But then we look here and we see that 2,000 years ago, the wisest one who ever walked this planet, the one who truly knew the human heart and what ails it, but the one who also could heal the human heart, the Creator of mankind, the very Designer, says in a loud voice to those who are seated around him, above the shores of the Galilee as they’re listening steadfastly, he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, that is “happy are the poor in spirit.”  Happy are the poor in spirit, now really?  How can that be?  How can somebody be happy that’s poor in spirit?  Where is the ever-important self-confidence that we’re told about?  Where’s the personal pride that we’re repeatedly told in our culture is the key to success and a happy life and prosperity?  Poor in spirit, is he sure?  It’s interesting too, turn to Luke chapter 6, because when Jesus shares the words that Matthew records, he right after that shares a few other words, that for whatever reason Matthew doesn’t share, but Luke decides to pen these words for us, in verses 24 to 26.  Right after he says “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, verse 24 (of Luke 6), he says “but woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”  So, a moment later, he says “Woe to you who are rich.”  “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, and then “Woe to you who are rich.”  Of course from the context there in Luke, and we note all the words that Jesus said before and after, he’s not so much speaking about those that are physically rich, but he’s referring to an attitude in heart.  Those that are rich in the sense of ‘rich in heart’, those that are opposite to the ‘poor in spirit.’  Those who are in the world’s eyes not only successful, but they’re also very confident in their achievements, very proud of what they are and what they’ve accomplished, and secure in their personal strength, and they have that sense ‘that I’ve got life figured out, I’ve got it under control, and I really don’t need anything else.’  He says “Woe to them, woe to them.”  Here in my mind’s eye, I like to visualize a picture, it’s a picture of two roads.  On one road you’ve got, I visualize Ted Turner, driving in one of his fancy limo’s, beating down the freeway.  Of course, everybody’s looking, people are gawking, ‘Here he goes, Ted Turner, look at that fancy car.’  Of course, he’s got it made.  And then on another dusty, dirty road goes this missionary, peddling his bike, from one village to another, in Asia.  Nobody’s taking notice, hardly anybody’s seeing.  To the one goes the praises and accolades of the world, to the other not even a word is said, and if anything’s said, it’s maybe a statement of pity.  But then we look here at what Jesus is saying and we learn that with heaven everything is reversed.  It’s completely opposite.  The one praised by the world is instead the one who is pitied.  Jesus says ‘Woe to you.’  And the one who’s seemingly unnoticed by the world, the one who’s seemingly unnoticed by the world moves the heavens, has got the attention of the heart of God.  Now what exactly does it mean “Poor in spirit”?  Luke, as you might have noticed there, just says “Blessed are you poor”, and he’s not again speaking of financial poverty, although there may be instances of that.  But rather when he says “poor in spirit”, and that word “spirit” clearly clues us in, you know, it’s a spiritual poverty that he’s speaking of.  It’s a realization of one’s spiritual poverty.  To be poor in spirit is to be completely absent of pride, of self-assurance, self-reliance.  Those things don’t exist with the “poor in spirit”.  And the thing is with “poor in spirit” there’s nothing natural about me as far as a man, as far as becoming that.  I don’t naturally arrive at being “poor in spirit“, for sure, I am more like the other.  In fact, it’s something that I cannot even produce in and of myself.  But yet Jesus says “Blessed, happy are the poor in spirit.”  Now I hear that, and it’s something that I want to become.  So then, how does one become “poor in spirit”?  Now I can’t produce it on my own, there’s nothing that I can do to make it happen as far as by my own means.  But it is something yet that I can have, and that is because it can be produced in me by the grace of God, and by the work of the Holy Spirit.  In fact, it is what I can’t help but become when I truly seek the face of God.  When truly I am seeking the presence and face of God, I can’t help but become poor in spirit.  When I am in the presence of God, I am poor in spirit, and we see that in the reaction of Isaiah.  You remember that one day early in the book of Isaiah, he sees God high and lifted up.  And what is his reaction?  Isaiah chapter 6, verse 5, “I 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.”  He said, ‘I saw the Lord, and oh man, my spiritual state is really bad.’  I mean, that’s poor in spirit.  That’s the realization of that.  It’s the reaction of Simon Peter there in Luke chapter 5.  You maybe remember when he was with Jesus, and suddenly his eyes opened up, and he really got a good sense of who Jesus was, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, and he says “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, oh Lord.”  That’s the heart of what it means to be “poor in spirit.”  Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones put it this way, “To feel that we are nothing and have nothing, and to look to God in utter submission to him, utter dependence upon him and his grace and mercy, to feel that we are nothing and have nothing.”  I mean, that is so contrary to what the world says, ‘you need to be this if you’re going to be successful’.  And Jesus says ‘You know, you need to think you’re nothing, and that you have nothing.  Now we’re off to a good start’ he says.  Happy is that man.  Now, that’s to be poor in spirit.  And of course, I become that way as I look to him, and I come before him, and it’s just this realization that you’re before a Holy God.  Now, why then is a man that is poor in spirit happy?  It is interesting that he says that, I mean consider Isaiah.  Isaiah’s saying “Woe is me, I’m a sinful man”, and Jesus says “Happy is Isaiah.”  He’s saying “Woe is me!” and Jesus is saying ‘Happy is that guy!, Blessed is that guy!’.  It’s interesting, it’s so different than the way we reason.  Well of course the reason why blessed and happy is that guy, is because Jesus continues, he says “for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.”  I mean, the kingdom of heaven, the sphere and realm of the rule of Christ.  And that is presently within my heart, that is [also] physically some day going to be on this planet, that is, in the future for eternity in the kingdom of heaven   The sphere and realm of the rule of Christ, the kingdom of heaven.  You know, during Jesus’ day it was a great honor to be a Roman citizen.  If you were a Roman citizen, you just get that even reading through the Bible, the Gospels and the Book of Acts, to be a Roman, you know Paul, being a Roman, it got him out of a couple tight squeezes.  People that were harsh with him, when they learned that he was a Roman, it was like ‘Whoa, you’re a Roman citizen?’  It meant protection, it meant a certain honor, it meant certain privileges, sort of like being an American citizen in our world today, and especially in the last few decades.  You know, you go back, being an American citizen was viewed in a certain way in various cultures, countries.  But here he says “the kingdom of heaven”, and there has never been an earthly kingdom that in any way compares to the kingdom of heaven.  The Kingdom of heaven, I mean, Jesus is this King, and he rules a certain way, and he has a certain power, and there’s a certain glory, and a certain light, the kingdom of heaven.  And he says “Blessed and happy are those that are poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.”  Of course, you look on the globe today, to be part of the kingdom of heaven, it isn’t so noticeable to the world that you’re a part of the kingdom of heaven as a Christian or Messianic Jewish believer.  Of course the Bible says we’re Pilgrims and strangers upon this planet [until Jesus returns].  You know, we have this incredible future, this incredible status, this incredible privilege and protection, but you don’t quite see it yet, if you’re looking from the world’s perspective.  But one day the King is going to come, and he’s going to establish his earthly Kingdom, and there’s going to be a drastic change on this globe when he does. [i.e. the Kingdom of God is coming to this earth when Jesus returns, bringing us with him right after the resurrection to immortality.  See http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkg1.htm.]  ‘For their’s is the kingdom of heaven, because they belong to it’, that’s what he’s saying, they fit the bill, they fit the ticket.  They’re poor in spirit, and that’s the entrance into this heavenly kingdom.  When I was young, I lived in Europe, my Dad was in the Air Force, and so in my grade school years I lived there for four years, and I remember even being 10 and 11 years old and I realized then, could even pick up on the American G.I. and Americans as we were, I mean, we were not necessarily appreciated in some ways by the Germans, by the Europeans, and that is because, and I learned even then, because of the arrogance that went with the Americans, such arrogance.  You know, we go over there, we’re Americans, you know, we kind of rule.  We realize we’re in another culture and another language, but we’re Americans, and you bow to us, and you’re going to learn our language, and you’re going to relate to us rather than the other way around.  There was this arrogance, and I had experiences living in Germany as a young person where there was a hostility there as a result.  But this is so different, the kingdom of heaven and the attitude that goes with it, it’s to be poor in spirit.  Now as we noted and read there in Luke chapter 6, “happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, then Jesus says a moment later, to the rich, the rich in heart, the self-reliant, the arrogant, the prideful, the self-assured, those that don’t think they need anything else, he says “In that very thing is your consolation.”  ‘You’re so sure, and you’ve got it, and that’s as good as it gets for you’ is what he’s saying.  In other words, it is in the end to come up empty, really.  To find that you really possess nothing of eternal value.  You may end up with whole lot of physical wealth, you may have a lot in this physical world, but if you’re not poor in spirit, you never realize that you have a greater need, that you’re spiritually bankrupt, and that is your greatest need, so you get to the end, and all you got then is what you had, because you weren’t preparing for later.  [And you can’t take it with you, as the saying goes.]  You’ve missed the whole deal.  H.H. Farmer once wrote this, he said, “To Jesus, the terrible things about having wrong values in life, and pursuing wrong things is not that you’re doomed to bitter disappointment, but that you’re not.  Not that you did not achieve what you wanted, that you did.”  And so the point is, is that you had all these appetites, and goals, and things, and you temporarily fulfilled them, and that’s the real tragedy.  You set out to, “Ahh, I got it figured out”, and you went out and you achieved it, and because of that, you missed the whole point, that you are in a desperate place.  That’s the real tragedy.  You didn’t learn the beauty and power of what it means to be poor in spirit.  Warren Wiersby put it this way, “When folks are satisfied with the lesser things of life, the good and to the best, then their success is only as failures.  These people are spiritually bankrupt and they do not realize it.”  You know, in that picture I drew a little bit ago, this missionary peddling through the villages of Asia.  To the world this man peddling down the road seems so insignificant, far beneath, so far beneath the great men of the world.  I mean, on the world’s scale, they’re way down there, that little guy, he’s dirty and all he’s got is a bicycle, and you’ve got the Ted Turners with their limo’s.  But it’s completely reversed here, that’s not the way it is in heaven.  God is not impressed with man’s wealth, man’s achievements.  Rather he focuses on the humble.  That’s what blesses him, that’s what moves him.  Those that want to follow him, consider what God said to the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 66, verse 2, “For all those things my hand has made, and all those things exist, says the Lord, (in other words, “I made it all, how am I going to be impressed with what you’ve got?---big deal”) but on this one will I look, on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.”  Trembles at my word.  So what Jesus shares here is so powerful and vital for you and I to comprehend.  For when the truths that are listed here become part of our life, they are reality to us, it is so transforming.  And what is listed here is also the path to salvation, and also the path to personal revival.  It starts with verse 3, you are apart from God, salvation, starts right there, poor in spirit.  But furthermore, as a born-again believer, revival starts right there.  Now do you desire salvation?  If you’re here, and you’re not sure you’re going to be in the kingdom of heaven, do you desire salvation, do you want to know?  Do you want to know how to obtain eternal life in the kingdom of heaven, and be with God in eternity?  It starts with verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  So then do you realize your spiritual state before a Holy God?  Do you realize that you’re spiritually destitute and in desperate need?  That’s where it starts.  It’s a sinner crying out to God, “Oh God, I’m a wretched sinner, save me, I need you.”  But are you a born-again Christian, and in need of revival in your life?  Starts right there, verse 3.  That’s the secret.  First step, it’s what is said in 2^nd Chronicles chapter 7, verse 14, something we so often quote, when God is saying “humble yourself”, that’s what he means.  “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, that is to return to the state of “poor in spirit”, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways”, and then he goes on, “I will forgive them, heal their land”, on and on.  You could rewrite that and say “If you’re poor in spirit and pray and seek my face”.  So, personal revival, it is so powerful.  I’ve had experiences in my life.  If the joy is gone, and the callousness is there, and the dullness, this is right where I go, I have to go here if I want get back to that vibrant Christian walk. 

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted”

Jesus continues with the next beatitude.  By the way, beatis in Latin means “happy”, that’s why they’re called Beatitudes, beatis, happy. He says, Verse 4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Now there is a statement for you.  Happy are those who mourn?  In fact, Luke has it this way, “Blessed, happy are you who weep now.”  I mean, like, there’s two exact opposites.  Now this is actually the natural response to reverse 3.  When you’re poor in spirit, man, the tears start coming.  When a person is before God, and they become aware of their true spiritual state, that they are poor in spirit, and to realize your true nature apart from the grace of God, is to then grieve over your condition.  So blessed are the poor in spirit.  When I get into that state and realize my condition, then blessed are those who mourn, I go ‘Ahh, this is the way that I am, this is my need, this is my state, so desperate Lord.  Oh Lord, wretched, the wretched man that I am.’  What a strange statement though, “Blessed, happy are those who mourn.”  You know it would seem that that statement wouldn’t be possible.  How could you say ‘Happy are those who are weeping’?  But you know it experientially, I hope you’ve had that experience.  When you experience this, when this becomes a reality in your life, you then agree, you’re like ‘Yeah, I agree, it’s true, that is really true.’  Another good picture of this is the parable that Jesus shared of the two men that went up to the Temple to pray.   You had the Pharisee and you had the tax collector.  Good picture of this.  Jesus explained in Luke chapter 18, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God I thank you that I’m not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers and even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.’  And the tax collector standing afar off would not so much as raise his eye to heaven, but beat his breast saying, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’  And then Jesus then says, ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”  I mean, this tax collector, Jesus gave the picture, ‘Be merciful to me a sinner.’  And Jesus says ‘That man will go away blessed.’  The religious leader, with his perspective of achievements, spiritual pride and all that nonsense, isn’t going to go away happy and blessed.  Happy, when he says happy are those who mourn and weep, it comes through the result of having that experience of realizing my condition, and then the Holy Spirit coming down and just me being forgiven and washed, the joy just comes with it.  David explained in Psalm 32, verses 1 and 2, he said, “Blessed, happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed, happy is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, in his spirit there is no deceit.”  Happy, blessed.  To be forgiven, happy, blessed to be cleansed, to be healed.  And so that’s what Jesus then follows with in his beatitudes, he says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  That’s the result, that’s that work of the Spirit.  Or Luke, Luke says it interestingly, records it, Jesus maybe stated it in different ways, he said “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall then laugh.”  You weep, you laugh.  Sometimes, maybe you’ve read it, like somebody’s struggling, having a hard time, and then God is going to comfort them, and God does then come, you know Paul said to the church in, I was at a funeral yesterday and shared 2^nd Corinthians chapter 1, right there, you know, God comforts, God is a God of comforts, who comforts us in all our trials and tribulations, yes he does that.  But as you put all the dot’s together here, and look at the different passages, he’s clearly referring to our mourning over our sin, a grieving over our condition.  And when you do that, the Holy Spirit just comes into your heart.  The comfort comes, the Holy Spirit just comes, and when the Holy Spirit comes there is a joy, with the presence of the Holy Spirit there is joy.  It’s a sweet joy, it’s a wonderful joy, it’s a powerful work in your heart.  With the Spirit there’s this abundance of joy.  Isaiah chapter 61 describes this, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give the beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.”  I wonder if you’ve had that experience in your life?  It’s for a Christian (or Messianic believer), it’s the path to revival.  And revival is within your reach, joy and the overflow.  Get alone with God, draw near to him, seek his face, open your heart and say ‘search my heart O God’, let the Lord reveal the issues there and just start to humble yourself, and go through and in your heart confess the sin and let God just reveal all the stuff that is there.  And as you go through that one by one by one, the tears start to come, and there’s this work that goes on, and then the Spirit of God just starts to flow in your life.  It’s very interesting, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  This is so alien to the mindset of the world, so alien.  And maybe you’re listening right now, going ‘That is just strange, that is just strange.’  In fact, you could be listening going, ‘You’re irritating me with that.’  It’s irritating to the world.  The world says, ‘Positive thinking, positive attitude, bless yourself, think about yourself, self-esteem, you need it.’  But you know if that’s the case, and that philosophy has just permeated our society, I’ve said over and over again, why are there so many people that are depressed?  And why is joy so far from our culture?  We’re not a joyful culture.  It’s because it isn’t the way you get there.  It isn’t the way you get there.  I believe, too, it’s because of what Jesus says there in Luke again, he says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”, and then he says this, “Woe to those who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”  He just flips it right around.  Our society is ‘Laugh now, laugh now, it’ll make you feel good.’  Hey, there’s nothing wrong with laughing, that’s not the point, but he’s dealing with a philosophy, an issue at heart.  The world wants you to believe that you can seek after and find happiness, but Jesus is saying ‘No, you’ll never get there looking for it.’  You get to happiness, you get to joy, by seeking after these things, which is seeking after God.  You’ll never find happiness if you’re looking for it.  The world turns…[tape switchover, some text lost]…had a sense to them, and I immediately thought, these guys are Christians, there’s just something about them.  You know, you go to a playground, sometimes you’re like hiding your wallet [laughter], don’t touch my kids, you know, you’re like on your guard.  But I walked onto this playground and there’s all these people, and it was just so peaceful, they were enjoying the day.  And of course they have a little Elmo dressed up, my young daughter looks over and this kind lady comes over, ‘Hey, come see Elmo’, and we’re not even part of the party, and then they give her cake.  And I’m like, there’s something about these people.  And I noticed a minute later this lady that had a T-shirt that said “Jesus” on it, and I knew it anyway, so I walked up to some guy and said ‘You guys are Christians’.  He says, ‘Yup.’  I say ‘What church do you go to?’ and they went to the New Hope Church…So I could tell, I could tell you guys were Christians.  It wasn’t even the T-shirt, it was just the joy was there in your life.’  That’s what it is.  And it comes as you’re poor in spirit and broken over your nature, and then God comes with the work of the Spirit in your life.  Are you lacking joy in your life?  It comes automatically with the Spirit, it comes automatically.  When the Spirit overflows our hearts, as we are truly poor in spirit, broken and contrite of our sin, the comfort comes, the joy comes, it just overflows. “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.”  What do you think that means?  A good book to read, if you want to meditate on these things, and I encourage you to do it, it’s that book by Roy Hession, “The Calvary Road”, great book, little book, won’t take you long, but it goes very wonderfully, laying this out, the path to revival. [The Calvary Road, by Roy Hession, available on http://www.christianbook.com .  Type the title in the book section.  Christianbook.com write-up: “Do you long for revival and power in your life?  Learn how Jesus can fill you with His Spirit through brokenness, repentance and confession.  Hession wrote “The Calvary Road” after experiencing a spiritual crisis in his own life.  A popular evangelist in England, he knew he had lost the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence and needed revival.  God met him in his need, just as he can meet you and revive the dying embers in your heart.  108 pages, softcover from Christian Literature Crusade. price $8.99 at ChristianBook.com.]

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”

Next thing, verse 5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”  Blessed are the meek, the meek.  Now these are people that are not highly esteemed by the world, again.  The meek? I mean, that’s not somebody that, you know, is getting all the awards, all the stage-lights and photography, and they’re not highly esteemed by the world.  And I think it’s partly to do because they’re not tooting their own horn either.  They’re not talking about themselves, telling you about all their achievements and accomplishments and why they are this and that.  In fact, a meek person rarely speaks about himself or herself.  They rarely are thinking about themselves, that’s why they rarely speak about themselves.  Their thoughts are filled with God.  Their thoughts are filled with other people, so they’re meek, and they’re not thinking about themselves and they’re not talking about themselves, and therefore the world doesn’t take notice.  Meekness goes with true humility and lowliness.  A meek person doesn’t consider concern himself with himself, and then really is amazed of what others are thinking about him, and is so blessed and just blown away about how God thinks of them.  And with that, then a meek person has a teachable spirit, very teachable.  But, when you speak about meekness it’s important, it’s important to note that meekness is not weakness, that is for sure.  In fact, the Greek word for meek here is the word Praus, and it is a word that’s also used when a powerful stallion has become broken and ride-able.  And that stallion, a powerful animal now is praus.  And so he says, blessed are the praus, the meek.  And so there’s this weight to that person, this strength, but it is under control.  It is not to be confused with timidity, that’s for sure.  And really, timidity is more than anything a form a pride, because with timidity, there’s a fear of others and what they think of you.  And a meek person doesn’t think about himself or herself.  So timidity is actually closer to pride than it is to true humility.  A meek person is actually very bold when needed, unhindered, just speaks because they don’t care.  “You can think whatever you want about me, I don’t really care, I don’t think about me, I just know I need to say this and share this.”  That’s a meek person.  They’re not in fear of man, doesn’t matter, has no impact on their life.  Now meekness, these [beatitudes] actually go in order, is a byproduct of the first two.  When you realize you’re nothing before God, poor in spirit, and then you become aware of your awful sin-nature, and you mourn and the tears come, the result is this disposition, it’s a meekness that comes, as God the Spirit comes and cleanses and heals, there’s then this rest, this peace.  It’s a meekness that comes, the disposition that comes.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be free from the anxieties of worrying about yourself and what others think of you?  Isn’t it great to be free of that?  Aren’t those fears debilitating?  Don’t they steal your happiness?  Well, here’s the path to freedom right here.  That’s how you get there.  Jesus says “Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”  I love what Charles Spurgeon says at this point, “They are lowly minded, and are ready to give up their portion in the earth.  Therefore it shall come back to them.  They neither boast nor contend or exalt over others, yet are they heirs of all the good which God has created on the face of the earth.  In their meekness they are like their King, and they shall reign with him.”  This is great, I like this.  “He has the best of this world, who thinks least of it and least of himself.”  That is classic.  “He has the best of this world, who thinks least of it and least of himself.”  That’s a good one.  That’s what the apostle Paul was telling “the church of God which is at Corinth” when he said, 2^nd Corinthians chapter 6, “As sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich” and then he says, “as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”  As having nothing, yet I’ve got it all.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  My sister, we were together yesterday, she just came back from east central Africa, I was wondering where that was, and I looked on the map, eastern Africa, right below Uganda to work on an orphanage…But the country where she was is one of the poorest countries in the world, one of the poorest.  In fact, according to my calculations, our economy is at least a thousand times stronger, higher, per capita, meaning as an individual I have on average about a thousand times as much, a thousand times as much as a citizen of this country, as an American, I have a thousand times as much, a thousand times.  They’re very poor.  But we just started our conversation, and one of the first comments my sister made was “Man, the people I was with, the people we ministered to and ministered with, they were so joyful, so joyful.”  Take what you have and divide it by a thousand, take your house and divide it by a thousand, your car, by a thousand.  See the world, saying [riches, riches, riches] the way to happiness.  And you can have things, but that is not the way to happiness.  The way to happiness is this way, “Blessed, happy are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, happy, happy, happy, that is what he is saying.  My sister was over in east central Africa and just couldn’t help note the joy, with the poorest people in the world.  Of course, being poor isn’t necessarily to be meek either though.  We don’t want to confuse it.  Because you can be poor and be greedy, be prideful too.  Yeah, it’s our culture, the philosophy, extolling one thing that is not the  right thing.  Jesus, greatest, wisest man ever, sits here and says words that are completely, they rub against it [the world], completely contrary to it, the far opposite of it.  So, have you been living for the world, and missing out on life?  Are you filling yourself with the things of the world?---toys and experiences of the world, whatever it might be?---all the things the world is offering, and yet coming up empty?  If that be you, then sit down, this is the path to happiness.  Listen to the greatest teacher ever, to the greatest sermon, sit down and just let it work into your mind and heart.  This, herein lies the keys to the good life.  David, a man after God’s own heart, also understood this, long before.  In psalm 37 he said this, verse 9, “For the evil doers shall be cut off.  But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more, indeed you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.  But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in abundance of peace.”  Abundance of peace, David understood, indeed.  He has the best of the world who thinks the least of it and the least of himself.  And that isn’t some weird thing, that is just coming before God, and thinking about God, and seeking his face.  We’re going to stop here, and pick up with verse 6 next week, one of those texts you just slow down in for awhile. 

What is revival?

Now I challenge you, you know, we want revival in our lives, revival in our church, revival in New England.  This is it right here.  I think of the one great saint who says, ‘You want revival to come, sit down and draw a circle around yourself, and let it start right there, right within that circle.  And this is it, man.  I mean, that peace.  Do you know the peace of God, does it grip your heart?  Do you have that sense of the peace, the abundance of peace?  Do you have the joy in your heart, just the sense of, you know, life is just fine?  I love God, I can’t imagine he loves me that much, and man, what a thrill to be used and a blessing to people.  If that is not your heart, man, it’s the good life, you can get there, set your mind on these things that are here.  Herein lies the steps to salvation, herein lies the steps to revival.  Interesting, Tom Philips, who comes now and then to the San Diego huddles, but also is part of the Billy Graham team, he said this, “Revival is a return to normal Christianity.”  We tend to think revival is like super-Christianity, ‘God bring us super-Christianity’, but revival is returning to what it is, and this is what it is here.  That’s what revival is.  And so often we’re not there, so we don’t experience the power.  But Jesus sat there on the side of that Sea of Galilee, and he says “Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are meek”, and he continues from their.  We’ll pick it up next week.  Let’s say a prayer together.  I challenge you this week, include that text in part of your divo time.  It’ll be fruitful in your life…[transcript of a connective expository sermon on Matthew 5:1-5, given somewhere in New England.]      

Recommend resource:

The Calvary Road, by Roy Hession, available at http://www.christianbook.com