THE BEAUTITUDES (1) – The Poor in Spirit (1)
The message on the Beatitudes is very important for the children of God to become holy and to go into New Jerusalem. It’s a precious message with essential contents on how we should be changed to resemble the heart of the Lord. The more we learn the truth and cast sins away, the more fruits of love, the Spirit and the Beatitudes are produced in us.
Even the people of this world know the Beatitudes because they have heard a lot about them. Some children of Sunday school memorize and are able to recite the Beatitudes fluently. However, the Beatitudes can only be accomplished when you know their spiritual meaning and follow how to receive blessings.
You will be able to try to become poor in spirit only when you know what it is to be poor in spirit. In the same way, only after you know what mourning is, what being gentle is and what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness, can you accomplish the Beatitudes one by one. You can then truly be blessed. You can give glory to God as His children, and finally you will be able to enter New Jerusalem that you are longing for.
I hope that you make every precious message spiritual food in your heart at every time so as to accomplish the spirit. By doing so, may the Beatitudes of God come unto all of your lives so that you can be recognized as the blessed in front of all people, in the name of the Lord I pray!
The first blessing is written in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Oppositely, those who are rich in spirit are not blessed and are going to hell. The poor in spirit are blessed and are going to heaven but the rich in spirit are not blessed. Why? They are not blessed as they’re going to hell. That is, the rich in spirit are going to hell and the poor in spirit are going to heaven. So, listen carefully to this message and understand what is being the poor in spirit.
Do you like to be poor or to be rich? Of course, we like to be rich. To be blessed in finance and get rich is good as we can glorify God, it will be easy to preach to others and we can give much money to help the poor and the missionary works. However, it is said the blessed are the poor. This scripture may seem to be weird to those who don’t know the spiritual meaning. But the poor in this scripture don’t indicate the poor in finance but the poor in spirit, that is, heart.
1. What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
To be poor in spirit means to have good heart without evil or greed. That is, you know how to empty yourself. And to be poor in spirit like this is directly linked to the salvation of your spirit and soul.
Jesus said in Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” A camel is big. But the eye of a needle is tiny. Is it possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? Never. It can never happen at all. However, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. It says that the rich can never enter into the kingdom of God. Don’t be disappointed, the rich. The poor in spirit are eager to know spiritual things and thirsty to be filled with the grace of God. So, they easily follow when we preach. So, they are easy to be saved as much as they are poor in spirit.
As a camel can’t go through the eye of a needle, the rich are hard to enter into the kingdom of heaven like this. But these people become poor in spirit by some chance if you continually preach to them. By some reason, they suddenly feel the emptiness of life or they may look for something to rely on when they fail in business or have a trouble in family or come to suffer from serious disease. Then, although they didn’t hear when you preached before, they may try to hear. Although they criticized the gospel and persecuted believers, they may humbly accept the gospel. Likewise, those who get poor in spirit before God can be blessed to possess the kingdom of God.
2. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven
In the chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gave an example story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man clothed well and fared sumptuously everyday while he was alive, but the beggar named Lazarus was fed by begging.
Moreover, Lazarus was sick and the dogs came and licked his sores. He lived so poorly and died. But the situation totally exchanged after both of them died. That was because the rich man didn’t believe in God but Lazarus believed. While the saved Lazarus is taking a rest peacefully at Abraham’s side, the rich man suffering in the fire of punishment cried and asked for a drop of water from Lazarus.
If you fall into this terrible hell, nothing is useless, although you were a millionaire or man of authority or even a King. All are the same suffering in the fire terribly. They don’t have any hope forever in eternal suffering. So, was Lazarus who lived as a beggar having disease blessed? Or was the rich man who enjoyed party everyday and fared sumptuously everyday blessed? The result was that the beggar turned to be the blessed. Why? It was because he searched for God. But this rich man didn’t search for God although he said he knew God. As he didn’t live by the word of God, he fell into hell and came to suffer eternally.
On the contrary, you can possess eternal kingdom of heaven only if you are poor in spirit and believe in the Lord although you lived in persecution or dishonor on this earth. However, the word, ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ is repeated in the last beatitudes. Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, it is written in the same letters but each kingdom of heaven has a different spiritual meaning. I’ll tell you about it later again.
Although you still have evil that you couldn’t get rid of yet, you accepted the gospel and came here because you are poor in spirit and possessed the kingdom of heaven. But we can’t be satisfied only with this. How did the apostle Paul who had great faith show wonderful power of God as well as being saved?
Philippians 3:12 says, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” He told us about the enterprising belief that files the faith until accomplishing the perfect salvation. If you don’t pray nor live in the truth, nobody can guarantee your salvation just because you received the Holy Spirit and were saved once.
There are some people who become proud of themselves at some moment and follow the worldly desire although they were poor in spirit and faithful to God at first.
As Galatians 3:3 says, if you make perfect by the flesh although you began in spirit, your blessing to possess the kingdom of heaven can be taken by the enemy devil. Namely, your name can be erased although it was written in the book of life. That is why God says in Philippians 2:12, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” So, we must be truly poor in spirit by getting rid of evil and making our hearts clean everyday. Then not only the eternal heaven will be yours but also heavenly kingdom will dwell in your lives.
That is, because our Lord will be together in the lives of those who have pure heart, you are blessed whenever you come in or go out as it is said in the chapter 28 of Deuteronomy. You will be the head but not the tail and you will lend to many others but borrow from none. And those who are with you will be also blessed as Lot who was with Abraham was blessed. Moreover, spiritual strength and authority will come upon you so that you can extend the kingdom of God, being loved by many people wherever you go.