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Matthew 5:1-3 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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5 verses 17 through 20, right, where Jesus says, I came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law.
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And so I thought, well, what if rather than starting in on Exodus 20 this morning, we start in on the Sermon on the Mount.
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It's been quite some time as a church since we've done that.
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I think it's been 10 years since we looked at the Sermon on the Mount together.
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And to do instead a series through the Sermon on the Mount, which will get us to Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 20 and force the issue once again at that point.
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So essentially, I bought myself eight or nine weeks to sort through it all.
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However, there's a massive richness at the beginning of chapter 5.
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So I don't want you to feel like we're just biding time, but rather let's dive in together into the Sermon on the Mount and then we'll get to that place.
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I believe you'll find that Exodus 20 and Matthew 5 and on into 6 are intrinsically interwoven, but we'll see when we get to that point.
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So we're going to begin working on that.
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If you are a college student and you were really, really hoping to do Exodus 20 before the semester was out, I'm just sorry.
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We probably won't get into it until this summer, but we'll see how the pace goes and hopefully this will serve you well.
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So our text for today is Matthew chapter 5 verses 1 through 3.
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Before I read that, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us.
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It is written for his glory and for our good.
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And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Matthew chapter 5 verse 1 and following.
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Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
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And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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In Matthew's account, this sermon comes very quickly at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
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So as introduction, let's take a quick look back into chapter 4 at Jesus' ministry to this point.
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Matthew 4, 12 through 17.
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John the Baptist has just been arrested.
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And Matthew writes for us, verse 12 and following.
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Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
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And leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
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In verses 14 through 16, Matthew tells us this was to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy.
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And then in verse 17, he writes,
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From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying,
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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So this is the very beginning in Matthew's account of Jesus' earthly ministry.
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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Then we see in chapter 4, verses 18 through 22,
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Jesus calls some of the first disciples, four of them, two sets of brothers.
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And then in verses 23 through 25,
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Jesus proclaims the gospel of the kingdom,
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this good news of the coming kingdom of God.
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He performs many miracles as signs to this coming kingdom,
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verifying the things that he's teaching.
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And as a result, gathers crowds.
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People begin to follow him around.
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And so in chapter 5, verses 1 and 2,
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Matthew sets the stage for this most famous of Jesus' sermons.
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It was not his only sermon,
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but it was certainly the most famous of Jesus' sermons.
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And Matthew tells us that there is a crowd.
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Seeing the crowds,
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Jesus goes away from the crowds and goes up onto the mountain.
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He tells us that Jesus ascends an unnamed mountain.
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We're not entirely sure there's some long-standing tradition which mountain it is,
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but we're not exactly sure which mountain.
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It's not significant really.
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He goes away from the crowd in order to teach.
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And Matthew tells us that his primary audience is not the crowd.
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So note verse 1,
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Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain.
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And when he sat down, who came to him?
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His disciples.
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His disciples came to him.
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So he's called some, right?
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So far we've seen in Matthew's text 4.
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There may have been some others at this point.
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Some of this crowd may have been considered disciples at this point.
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But the thing I want you to hear very clearly is that Jesus preaches this sermon not to unbelievers,
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but to believers.
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Much like many of the New Testament epistles, right, are written as letters to churches.
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And so we do well to keep that in mind as we're going to walk our way through the text of the Sermon on the Mount.
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The Sermon on the Mount is understood to be a declaration of the kingdom of God.
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The kingdom has come because the king has come.
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Jesus here is teaching what those who are citizens of his kingdom will look like.
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Remember, he is teaching his disciples.
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And as we study across these three chapters, we're going to see two major themes emerge,
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which we'll consider at length in the coming months.
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The first major theme that I'm going to talk about anyway is whole person righteousness.
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Whole person righteousness.
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Jesus in this sermon corrects the misunderstanding that God is only concerned with action
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and the outward appearance of righteousness.
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Citizens of God's kingdom will not only honor God with their actions,
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but also with their thoughts, intentions, motivations, emotions.
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God cares about our hearts, not merely the exterior.
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So whole person righteousness is going to emerge as a prominent theme throughout this text.
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And I believe as a result of this whole person righteousness,
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the second theme that emerges is human flourishing.
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The well-being of God's disciples, those citizens of God's kingdom will flourish.
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They will have joy and comfort and peace and satisfaction.
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We will see in the sermon that the flourishing of God's kingdom
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often runs in direct contradiction to the world's concept of flourishing.
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But nonetheless, we'll flourish in the kingdom of God.
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And in verse 3, Jesus begins his sermon and leads out with this second theme of human flourishing
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in making the declaration,
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blessed are the poor in spirit.
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Now, I'll get into some of this in the coming weeks.
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We'll talk more about this word that's translated blessed here.
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We know, if you're familiar with your scripture,
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that this is often called the Beatitudes,
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which is a translation of a transliteration from Latin into English.
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It's very complex why we end up arriving at this spot of beatitude.
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These blessings, these declarations of blessing on particular quality of citizens of the kingdom.
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The Greek word here translated blessed is makarios.
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And there's a lot of translation dilemma here.
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Some words translated from Greek into English are very simple translations.
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Often when we're looking at New Testament texts,
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we want to go on the deeper dive and go see what the original language means.
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And you go, oh yeah, yeah, it means what it means in English.
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Well done, translators.
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But there are some Greek words that are very difficult to apply an equivalent English word to.
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And that's when it's helpful that we are students of the original language
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and we do our best to try to wrap our minds around what this word means.
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So often we see it, and here in this case, in the ESV, we see it blessed.
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Some will say happy.
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Some will say joyful, like an abiding, intrinsic happiness.
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But the challenge to some of those things is that God's people aren't always happy, are we?
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It's acceptable as God's people to mourn.
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The very next blessed is about mourning.
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It's about sadness over something in particular.
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So it becomes a little bit difficult then.
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What does it mean exactly?
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Are we meant to be bubbly?
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Is that what Jesus is suggesting to us here?
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And it's not.
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Fortunate could be another English word put in this place.
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But my favorite is flourishing.
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And we will, in the coming weeks, unpack what that flourishing looks like.
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But you could think of it as well-being.
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Doing well are the poor in spirit.
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Jesus here is making a declaration, right?
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That those who are poor in spirit are blessed.
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It's as if he is observing a person poor in spirit.
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And he's saying to them, he's saying to the disciples, look at the poor in spirit.
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They are blessed.
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He's declaring this.
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He's putting a label on to this person.
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Look at the way they are.
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They are blessed.
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They're doing well.
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They're flourishing.
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All goes well with them because they're poor in spirit.
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An example of this, just to make the point of the way this is a declaration made.
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Matthew 16, 17, after Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ.
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Jesus asked Peter, who do you say that I am?
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And Peter responds, you are the Christ.
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Verse 17 says, Jesus answered him, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, right?
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Blessed.
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He puts this label on to him.
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You are blessed.
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Why?
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For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven, right?
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You've had this truth of who I am revealed to you by my Father.
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And therefore, you are doing well.
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You are flourishing because you're recognizing me as the Christ.
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And so, Jesus says, declares, blessed are those who are poor in spirit.
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So, what does it mean to be poor in spirit?
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Jesus here is not talking about those who are financially poor.
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He does not say, blessed are the poor.
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He says, blessed are the poor in spirit.
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Now, the financially poor may have one less obstacle to recognizing their spiritual poverty.
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But that is not the criteria that Jesus is teaching here.
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He declares, blessed are those who are poor in spirit.
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In order to grasp the meaning of this phrase, I want to take you on a brief survey of Bible characters.
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I want to show you men throughout biblical history who were poor in spirit to help us wrap our mind around what this means,
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beginning with Abraham and ending with Paul.
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And my prayer is that we'll witness these individuals' recognition of their spiritual poverty.
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So, hang with me.
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I don't think you actually need to turn, maybe write references so you can test me later that I'm actually reading to you the scripture.
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But let's start with Abraham.
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In dealing with the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham said in Genesis 18, 27,
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Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord.
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I who am but dust and ashes.
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Jacob, when he returned to the promised land after spending 20 years in exile,
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he wrestled with God in prayer and said in Genesis 32, 10,
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I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant.
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Abraham, I am but dust and ashes.
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Jacob, I am not worthy of the goodness that you've shown me.
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Moses, when God came to him and gave him this mission to go back to Egypt to set his people free,
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Abraham said in Exodus 3, 11, and then in chapter 4, 10,
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Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?
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Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant,
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but I am slow of speech and of tongue.
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Why send me?
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Is what Moses says to God.
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We know that God gets angry at him, but not because of his understanding of himself,
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but because he fails to believe that God will deliver his people.
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David, King David, after he is an adulterous murderer,
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he says in Psalm 51, verse 17,
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The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.
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Oh, God, you will not despise.
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And it's easy to agree that this is the spirit that pleases God after you are adulterous and murderous.
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But what about the times when you're doing well,
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when you're doing what you ought to be doing?
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When a collection for the temple was being taken,
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when David and his people were performing an act of virtue,
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David prayed, and it's recorded for us in 1 Chronicles 29, 14,
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But who am I, and what is my people,
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that we should be able thus to offer willingly?
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Even when we're doing good, who are we that we're allowed to do good?
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And then he says,
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For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
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King Solomon, 1 Kings 3, verse 7.
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You will learn about me if you don't already know.
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I like beating points.
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It's recorded, he said,
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And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father,
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although I am but a little child.
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I do not know how to go out or come in.
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There's a lot of debate about when Solomon became king,
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and it ranges between 12 and 20.
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But either way you look at it,
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I'm pretty sure at 12 he knew how to get out in and out of a room.
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So he's magnifying his smallness as he prays this to God.
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Why me?
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Look at me.
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I'm just so ignorant of the things that a king should know.
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Job.
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Here's a great one.
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Job 42, 5, and 6.
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God speaks to him out of the cloud,
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and he says,
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I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
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but now my eye sees you.
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Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
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Isaiah, another man that encountered God.
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In Isaiah 6, 5,
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Isaiah says,
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Woe is me, for I am lost.
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For I am a man of unclean lips,
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and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
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For my eyes have seen the King,
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the Lord of hosts.
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Let's go to the New Testament.
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John the Baptist.
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John 1, verse 27,
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and then chapter 3, verse 30.
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John says,
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I baptize with water,
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but among you stands one whom you do not know.
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He's speaking of Christ.
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Even he who comes after me,
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the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.
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And in 3.30, he says,
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He must increase.
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I must decrease.
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We see in a parable,
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a tax collector,
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and Jesus tells this parable of a Pharisee,
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and a tax collector who went up to the temple to pray.
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And concerning the tax collector,
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Jesus said in Luke chapter 18,
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verse 13 and 14,
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But the tax collector standing far off
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would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
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but beat his breast saying,
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God, be merciful to me,
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a sinner.
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I tell you,
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this man went down to his house justified
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rather than the other.
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For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
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but the one who humbles himself
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will be exalted.
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We have a story in Luke chapter 7
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of a centurion.
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Verses 6-9 say,
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When Jesus was not far off from the house,
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the centurion sent friends to him,
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saying to him,
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Lord, do not trouble yourself,
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for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
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Therefore, I do not presume to come to you,
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but say the word and let my servant be healed.
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When Jesus heard this,
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he marveled at him
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and turned and said to the multitude,
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I tell you,
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not ever in Israel have I found such faith.
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As he emptied himself for his Lord.
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Peter.
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When Peter saw the power of Jesus
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on the lake of Gennesaret,
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in Luke 5-8,
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he fell down at Jesus' knees saying,
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Depart from me,
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for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
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Then finally, Paul.
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Romans chapter 7, verse 18,
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he wrote,
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Lord, I know that nothing good dwells in me,
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that is, in my flesh.
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1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 6-7,
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Paul says,
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I planted, Apollos watered,
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but God gave the growth.
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So neither he who plants nor he who waters
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is anything,
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but only God who gives the growth.
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And finally, last reference,
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1 Timothy chapter 1, verses 15 and 16.
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Paul writes,
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The saying is trustworthy
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and deserving of full acceptance,
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that Christ Jesus came into the world
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to save sinners,
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of whom I am the foremost.
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But I receive mercy for this reason,
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that in me as the foremost,
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Jesus Christ might display
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his perfect patience
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as an example
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to those who are to believe in him
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for eternal life.
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So, a lot of examples, right,
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of what it looks like
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to be poor in spirit,
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but are we wrapping our brains around it?
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What does it mean?
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What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
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I'll give you a few things.
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It's a recognition
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of spiritual bankruptcy
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and helplessness before God.
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We have nothing to bring to him, right?
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Dead in our trespasses
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and in our sins.
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We have no ounce of good
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to offer God apart from Christ.
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So, it's this recognition
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of spiritual bankruptcy
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and helplessness before God.
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It is a recognition
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of powerlessness
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in and of ourselves.
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It is a recognition
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of moral uncleanliness
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before God,
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that our sin against
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a most holy, infinite God
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is of infinite offense.
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It is a recognition
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of personal unworthiness
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before God.
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Why would God show grace to me?
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It is a recognition
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that if there is to be any life
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or joy
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or usefulness whatsoever,
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it would have to be
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all of God
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and all of His grace.
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The reason that it's proper to say
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that to be poor in spirit
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is a recognition
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of bankruptcy
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and a recognition
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of powerlessness
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and uncleanliness
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and unworthiness
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is that objectively speaking,
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everybody is poor in spirit.
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It is part of the human condition.
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After the fall of mankind,
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everyone born since
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has been poor in spirit.
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Everybody,
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whether they recognize it or not,
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is utterly hopeless
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before God.
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But not everybody
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is declared blessed.
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Those declared blessed
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are those who recognize
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their spiritual poverty
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and turn to God
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by grace alone,
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through faith alone,
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in Christ alone.
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Remember,
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Jesus is teaching
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His disciples.
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He's teaching those
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who are following Him
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from faith
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and they are declared
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blessed.
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They've recognized
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their need
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of Him.
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So,
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as we hold up
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the Sermon on the Mount
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and we consider it,
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we want to hold it up
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to ourselves.
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We want to look and say,
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if this is what
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the kingdom looks like,
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if this is how
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the citizens
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of God's kingdom look,
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do I find myself
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in here?
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Is this me?
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Am I poor in spirit?
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We must ask ourselves
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these questions
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because there's such
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a weighty answer
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to be had.
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We want to say,
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yes,
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this is me.
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Yes,
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I am blessed.
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Yes,
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the kingdom of God
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is mine.
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Because if we can't,
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our end is destruction
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and utter doom
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and retribution
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for our sin
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forever.
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It's a weighty thing
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that's before us
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to take a look at this
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and really consider,
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am I a citizen
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of God's kingdom?
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So,
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how can a person
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know
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if they are poor
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in spirit?
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We do not arrive
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at these things
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with perfection.
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Right?
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So,
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we're going to read
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through these
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as we're working
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through these
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blessings,
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these beatitudes.
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and none of us
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are doing this
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with perfection,
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but is it
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characterize
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who I am?
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So,
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recognizing
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that you are
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poor in spirit
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is the starting
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point of
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humility.
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These phrases,
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I believe,
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are too readily
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equated with one
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another.
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You have
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poor in spirit
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and humility
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used synonymously,
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but I think
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it's right to say
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that being poor
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in spirit
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produces humility.
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Right?
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Humility is the
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fruit of an
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impoverished spirit.
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You see how
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spiritually bankrupt
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you are
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and therefore
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you become
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humble
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and that humility
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works out.
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Right?
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We can see,
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we can observe
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both for our lives
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and for those
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around us.
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Humility.
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Thomas Watson,
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a Puritan pastor,
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wrote this.
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He said,
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I think poverty
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of spirit
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is the cause
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of humility
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for when a man
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sees his want
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of Christ,
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sees his want
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of Christ,
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and how he lives
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on the alms
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of free grace,
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this makes him
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humble.
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He that is sensible
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of his own
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vacuity
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and indigence,
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which means
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stupidity
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and poverty,
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hangs his head
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in humility
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with the violet.
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Humility
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is the sweet
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spice that grows
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from poverty
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of spirit.
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That's probably
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the only part
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of that I should
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have read.
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Humility
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is the sweet
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spice that grows
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from poverty
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of spirit.
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So let's
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take a look.
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Let's observe
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your own life,
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help others
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in talking about
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what's been
25:37
presented to you
25:38
today,
25:39
to consider
25:39
their life.
25:40
Let's look
25:41
at six measures
25:42
of humility
25:43
as our gauge
25:46
of awareness
25:46
of our spiritual
25:47
poverty.
25:48
Are you
25:50
poor
25:50
in spirit?
25:52
So let's
25:52
look at six
25:52
measures of that.
25:53
Number one,
25:56
the humble
25:56
are self-forgetful.
26:00
The humble
26:01
are self-forgetful,
26:03
and by that
26:04
I mean
26:04
we are not
26:06
occupied
26:08
only with
26:09
ourselves.
26:10
All of our
26:11
intention is not
26:12
turned inward,
26:13
but our
26:13
intention turns
26:14
outward.
26:15
A humble
26:16
person
26:17
loses their
26:18
self-preoccupation.
26:20
They recognize
26:22
that the world
26:23
does not
26:23
revolve around
26:25
them,
26:26
and they move
26:27
outside themselves,
26:29
first toward
26:30
God,
26:31
and then toward
26:32
others.
26:32
Paul wrote
26:34
in Galatians
26:35
2.20,
26:36
I have been
26:37
crucified
26:38
with Christ.
26:40
This is no
26:40
longer I
26:41
who live.
26:43
Life is a
26:44
sacrifice,
26:45
but Christ
26:46
who lives in
26:46
me.
26:47
And the life
26:48
that I now
26:48
live in the
26:48
flesh,
26:49
I live by
26:49
faith in
26:50
the Son
26:50
of God
26:50
who loved
26:51
me and
26:52
gave
26:52
himself
26:53
for me.
26:54
So we
26:55
turn this
26:55
devotion from
26:56
ourselves,
26:56
outside of
26:57
ourselves,
26:58
to God.
26:59
We forget
26:59
so much
27:00
about ourselves
27:00
to our
27:01
great benefit,
27:01
and devote
27:03
ourselves to
27:03
him.
27:03
And we
27:04
love and
27:05
serve others.
27:07
Beloved,
27:08
if you are
27:08
truly humble,
27:10
you will
27:11
maximize the
27:13
strengths and
27:14
the virtues
27:15
of others.
27:16
If you find
27:17
yourself to be
27:17
a particularly
27:18
nitpicky person,
27:20
always drawing
27:21
out the negative
27:22
things,
27:23
always showing
27:23
somebody their
27:24
fault,
27:25
it's because you
27:26
think too much
27:27
of yourself.
27:28
You think you're
27:29
in a position
27:30
to show them
27:31
their faults.
27:32
The humble
27:33
look at others
27:34
and go,
27:34
way to go.
27:35
You're doing
27:36
a lot of
27:36
things really
27:37
well.
27:39
Romans 12,
27:39
10,
27:40
Paul writes,
27:40
love one
27:40
another with
27:41
brotherly
27:41
affection,
27:42
outdo one
27:43
another in
27:44
showing honor.
27:46
The humble
27:47
person recognizes
27:48
their spiritual
27:49
poverty,
27:50
the very depth
27:51
of how atrocious
27:52
they can be.
27:54
So the humble
27:54
are self-forgetful.
27:57
Number two,
27:57
the humble
27:59
are enthralled
28:00
with Christ
28:01
and becoming
28:02
like him.
28:05
Enthralled
28:06
with Christ
28:06
and becoming
28:07
like him.
28:10
Is Jesus
28:11
Christ
28:12
the most
28:13
precious thing
28:14
you possess?
28:15
And if you're
28:16
in him,
28:17
he is yours.
28:18
You are his
28:19
and he is
28:20
yours.
28:20
Is he the
28:21
most precious
28:23
thing to you?
28:24
And you can
28:24
measure this out
28:25
by considering
28:26
what you
28:27
think about
28:28
most and
28:29
what you
28:29
talk about
28:29
most.
28:30
It's a very
28:31
simple thing
28:31
to do.
28:33
I wish
28:34
somebody could
28:35
walk around
28:35
and record
28:35
you and
28:36
make one
28:36
of those
28:36
scatter
28:37
things,
28:38
make words
28:39
bigger the
28:39
more it's
28:40
said in a
28:40
paper.
28:42
But many
28:42
of us
28:43
would find
28:43
that we
28:43
don't talk
28:44
about Jesus
28:45
Christ nearly
28:45
as much
28:46
as we
28:47
think we
28:48
do.
28:49
The humble
28:49
are enthralled
28:50
with Christ
28:51
and becoming
28:52
like him.
28:53
Paul writes
28:53
Philippians
28:54
1.21
28:54
to me
28:55
to live
28:56
is Christ.
28:58
To do
28:59
his bidding,
29:00
to know
29:00
him more
29:01
by being
29:01
part of
29:02
the growing
29:02
of his
29:02
kingdom.
29:03
And to
29:04
die is
29:05
what?
29:05
It's gain.
29:06
Why?
29:08
Put off
29:09
the shackles
29:10
of this
29:10
world and
29:10
my sinful
29:11
flesh and
29:11
be with
29:12
him forever.
29:15
He writes
29:15
in other
29:16
places,
29:16
2 Corinthians
29:17
3.18
29:18
And we
29:19
all with
29:20
unveiled
29:21
face,
29:21
beholding
29:22
the glory
29:22
of the
29:23
Lord,
29:23
are being
29:24
transformed
29:25
in the
29:25
same
29:25
image
29:26
from one
29:27
degree of
29:28
glory to
29:28
another.
29:29
For this
29:29
comes from
29:30
the Lord
29:30
who is
29:31
the Spirit.
29:33
So we
29:33
long for
29:34
that.
29:34
We want
29:34
to be
29:35
made
29:35
more
29:36
like
29:36
him.
29:38
The
29:38
humble
29:38
are
29:38
enthralled
29:39
with
29:39
Christ
29:39
and
29:40
becoming
29:40
like
29:41
him.
29:42
Third,
29:43
the
29:45
humble
29:45
are not
29:47
complainers.
29:48
the
29:53
humble
29:53
recognize
29:54
what
29:55
they
29:55
actually
29:56
deserve.
29:58
You know
29:59
what you
29:59
actually
29:59
deserve?
30:00
Death
30:01
and
30:01
hell.
30:04
So no
30:05
matter
30:05
the state
30:06
that we
30:06
find ourselves
30:07
in,
30:07
we really
30:08
have no
30:08
space for
30:09
complaining.
30:11
So much
30:12
blessing,
30:12
blessing upon
30:13
blessing upon
30:14
blessing when
30:16
you recognize
30:16
that what you
30:17
really deserve
30:17
is death
30:19
and hell.
30:20
And complaining
30:20
comes from
30:21
expecting
30:22
more.
30:23
What I do
30:23
deserve is
30:24
this.
30:25
That's not
30:26
fair.
30:27
Beloved,
30:28
we don't
30:28
want what's
30:29
fair.
30:31
Paul writes
30:32
in Romans
30:32
chapter 8
30:33
verse 17
30:33
and 18,
30:35
if children
30:35
then heirs,
30:37
heirs of
30:37
God and
30:38
fellow heirs
30:38
with Christ,
30:40
provided we
30:40
what?
30:41
We suffer
30:42
with him
30:43
in order
30:44
that we
30:44
may also
30:45
be glorified
30:46
with him.
30:48
Paul's
30:48
saying that
30:49
an evidence
30:50
of a life
30:51
lived for
30:51
Christ,
30:52
one who's
30:52
poor in
30:53
spirit,
30:53
a citizen
30:54
of this
30:54
kingdom,
30:55
is going
30:56
to suffer.
30:57
The conclusion
30:58
of the
30:58
beatitude
30:59
says the
30:59
very same
31:00
thing,
31:01
blessed are
31:01
those who
31:02
are persecuted
31:04
for righteousness
31:05
sake.
31:06
And so,
31:06
we're going
31:07
to suffer
31:07
in this
31:07
world,
31:08
and Paul
31:09
says in
31:09
verse 18,
31:09
for I
31:10
consider that
31:10
the sufferings
31:11
of this
31:11
present time
31:12
are not
31:13
worth
31:14
comparing.
31:14
And I
31:15
like to
31:15
reread that
31:15
and say
31:16
present time
31:16
are not
31:17
even worth
31:18
comparing.
31:19
Don't even
31:20
take the
31:20
time to
31:21
compare it
31:21
with the
31:22
glory that
31:23
is to be
31:23
revealed to
31:25
us.
31:26
Such a
31:27
glorious
31:28
reality that
31:29
awaits us,
31:30
right?
31:31
Having found
31:32
ourselves poor
31:33
in spirit,
31:34
looking to
31:34
this thing,
31:36
recognizing
31:36
what we
31:37
actually deserve,
31:40
which is
31:40
death and
31:40
hell.
31:42
Fourth,
31:42
the humble
31:47
have Christ
31:49
on his
31:51
terms.
31:52
I borrowed
31:53
some of
31:53
these from
31:53
Thomas Watson,
31:54
so that's
31:54
why that
31:54
language sounds
31:55
very Puritan.
31:57
The humble
31:57
have Christ
31:58
on his
32:00
terms.
32:01
The humble
32:02
will not
32:03
try to have
32:03
Christ while
32:05
hanging on
32:06
to sinful
32:07
vices.
32:09
So,
32:10
we'll have
32:10
Christ and
32:11
we'll walk
32:11
in his
32:12
ways.
32:12
If he's
32:13
going to
32:13
be our
32:14
savior,
32:15
he must
32:16
be our
32:16
Lord.
32:18
We will
32:18
follow him.
32:19
We won't
32:20
try to
32:20
manipulate him
32:22
and his
32:22
commands to
32:23
meet our
32:23
needs.
32:24
We'll have
32:24
Christ on
32:25
his terms,
32:26
right?
32:26
Jesus says,
32:28
you have
32:28
me, now
32:28
follow me.
32:31
If you
32:31
love Christ,
32:33
you will
32:33
love his
32:33
word and
32:34
make it the
32:35
standard for
32:37
your living.
32:39
The scripture
32:39
sets up as
32:40
the pole
32:41
position that
32:41
we chase
32:42
in this
32:43
race of
32:45
life.
32:46
Again,
32:47
Thomas Watson,
32:48
I think you're
32:48
going to hear
32:48
a lot from
32:49
him in the
32:49
coming months.
32:51
He wrote
32:51
this.
32:52
He wrote a
32:52
wonderful
32:52
commentary on
32:53
the Beatitudes.
32:54
He wrote,
32:55
a castle that
32:56
has long been
32:57
besieged and
32:59
is ready to
32:59
be taken will
33:00
deliver upon
33:01
any terms to
33:03
save their
33:03
lives.
33:04
He whose
33:05
heart has
33:05
been a
33:06
garrison for
33:06
the devil and
33:07
has held out
33:08
long in
33:09
opposition against
33:10
Christ,
33:11
when once God
33:12
has brought
33:13
him to
33:13
poverty of
33:14
spirit and
33:15
he sees
33:16
himself damned
33:17
without
33:18
Christ,
33:19
let God
33:20
propound what
33:21
articles he
33:22
will.
33:23
So,
33:23
bring the
33:24
treaty.
33:24
It does
33:25
not matter
33:25
what the
33:26
expectations
33:27
of the
33:28
treaty are.
33:29
He will
33:30
readily
33:31
subscribe to
33:33
them.
33:34
Lord,
33:35
what will
33:36
you have
33:36
me do?
33:37
That's the
33:37
response.
33:38
When we
33:39
recognize how
33:40
spiritually
33:40
impoverished we
33:41
are, we
33:42
recognize how
33:43
desperately we
33:44
need to be
33:45
saved.
33:46
What would
33:46
you have
33:47
me do?
33:48
Thomas Watson
33:49
in conclusion
33:49
says,
33:50
he that is
33:50
poor in
33:51
spirit will
33:51
do anything
33:52
that he
33:53
may have
33:54
Christ.
33:55
So, the
33:56
humble have
33:57
Christ on
33:58
his terms.
34:00
And, beloved,
34:01
that's a
34:01
wonderful thing.
34:02
It's for our
34:02
good.
34:04
Number five,
34:07
the humble
34:07
pray.
34:10
The humble
34:11
pray.
34:11
Beloved, we
34:12
are meant to
34:12
be a praying
34:13
people if we
34:14
recognize how
34:16
very spiritually
34:17
impoverished we
34:18
are.
34:19
We know that we
34:19
can do no
34:20
good thing
34:20
apart from
34:21
God.
34:23
We flail
34:25
about trying
34:26
to accomplish
34:26
things for
34:28
God, rather
34:31
than in
34:31
treating with
34:32
him that he
34:33
would work
34:33
and use us
34:34
in his
34:35
working.
34:36
I cannot
34:37
tell you how
34:38
many times,
34:39
to my shame,
34:40
in the past
34:41
decade, that
34:42
I have prepped
34:43
a sermon
34:44
within days of
34:46
needing to
34:46
deliver the
34:47
sermon and
34:47
not prayed.
34:48
God, it's
34:49
horrible.
34:51
I go to my
34:51
books and I
34:52
rely on my
34:53
intellect without
34:54
first stopping
34:55
and saying,
34:56
I can do
34:57
nothing apart
34:59
from you.
35:01
For a long
35:01
time now, I've
35:02
signed things,
35:03
emails and
35:04
things like that
35:04
to come out
35:05
to you.
35:06
SDG, some
35:07
of you have
35:07
asked me what
35:08
that means,
35:08
lowercase s,
35:09
uppercase d,
35:10
lowercase g.
35:11
That's the way
35:12
Bach signed
35:12
his pieces of
35:15
music.
35:16
And it means
35:16
solely Deo
35:17
Gloria.
35:18
That's what it
35:18
means.
35:18
So he was
35:19
concluding in
35:20
that way.
35:21
Men of the
35:22
ministry, you
35:22
may have
35:22
noticed that
35:23
the email
35:24
that went
35:24
out this
35:25
past time
35:26
had an
35:27
uppercase j
35:27
and a
35:28
lowercase j
35:29
at the
35:29
very top
35:30
of it.
35:30
Because I
35:31
learned,
35:32
I'm grateful
35:33
to learn this,
35:34
that many of
35:35
his pieces of
35:35
music started,
35:37
I won't get
35:37
the Latin
35:37
phrase right
35:38
off the top
35:38
so I won't
35:39
try, but
35:40
with a Latin
35:40
phrase that
35:41
meant,
35:42
Jesus help.
35:44
help.
35:45
So, starting
35:47
this Sunday,
35:47
my notes at
35:48
the top say
35:48
JJ, and at
35:49
the bottom
35:49
they say
35:49
SDG as
35:51
reminders to
35:51
myself.
35:52
Right?
35:53
We are
35:54
utterly helpless
35:55
apart from him,
35:57
and when we
35:57
recognize that,
35:58
we'll go to the
35:59
one who can
35:59
help.
36:00
Right?
36:01
Get the
36:01
phrase in
36:01
your mind.
36:03
It's a Latin
36:03
phrase.
36:04
I hope this
36:04
helps you.
36:05
Sine qua
36:07
non.
36:08
Without
36:09
which
36:10
nothing.
36:12
Psalm 145,
36:13
18,
36:14
the Lord is
36:14
near to all
36:16
who call
36:16
on him,
36:17
to all who
36:18
call on
36:19
him in
36:20
truth.
36:22
Lord, we
36:23
need you.
36:24
Come and
36:25
work.
36:27
John MacArthur
36:28
wrote in his
36:29
commentary on
36:30
this verse,
36:31
just as the
36:32
physical beggar
36:32
begs for
36:33
physical
36:33
sustenance,
36:34
the spiritual
36:35
beggar begs
36:36
for spiritual.
36:37
We will
36:37
knock often
36:38
at heaven's
36:39
gate because
36:40
we are
36:40
always in
36:41
need.
36:43
So the
36:44
humble pray.
36:47
And sixth
36:47
and finally,
36:49
the humble
36:49
are thankful.
36:52
The humble
36:52
are thankful.
36:54
Namely,
36:55
the humble
36:55
are thankful
36:56
for God's
36:57
grace to
36:58
them.
36:59
Recognizing
37:00
our utter
37:01
unworthiness
37:02
to receive
37:03
such favor,
37:05
we exult
37:05
in God's
37:06
great
37:07
goodness.
37:08
grace to
37:09
us.
37:10
Why,
37:11
O Lord,
37:12
me,
37:13
wretch that
37:14
I am,
37:14
why would
37:15
you save
37:16
my soul?
37:18
Makes me
37:19
his,
37:20
restores me
37:20
to him,
37:21
calls me
37:22
blessed,
37:24
calls me
37:24
his child,
37:26
Jesus calls
37:26
me his
37:27
friend and
37:28
brother.
37:29
Why me?
37:30
I was set
37:31
against you
37:32
in every
37:33
way.
37:34
What
37:34
grace
37:35
to us.
37:39
So,
37:40
why are the
37:42
poor in
37:42
spirit declared
37:43
by Jesus
37:44
to be
37:44
blessed?
37:46
Flourishing
37:46
are you
37:47
who recognize
37:48
your utter
37:49
dependence
37:50
because theirs
37:52
is the
37:53
kingdom
37:54
of heaven.
37:55
They are
37:56
citizens of
37:57
the kingdom
37:57
of God.
37:59
God is
38:00
their God
38:01
and they
38:01
are God's
38:02
people.
38:04
Is this
38:05
true of you
38:06
this morning?
38:09
This
38:10
first of the
38:12
blessings is
38:12
a succinct
38:13
statement
38:14
of the
38:15
doctrine of
38:16
justification
38:17
by faith
38:18
alone.
38:20
It simply
38:20
says we
38:20
will not
38:21
be found
38:21
right before
38:22
God,
38:23
declared
38:24
righteous
38:24
before God
38:25
of any
38:26
merit of
38:27
our own
38:27
doing.
38:28
We must
38:28
first be
38:30
humbled,
38:31
be found
38:32
spiritually
38:32
impoverished
38:34
that we
38:34
might find
38:35
our righteousness
38:36
in Christ,
38:37
that we
38:38
would bank
38:38
everything
38:39
on his
38:40
righteousness
38:41
because we
38:42
have none
38:43
of our
38:44
own.
38:45
If we
38:46
don't first
38:46
recognize our
38:47
spiritual
38:47
poverty and
38:48
then turn
38:48
to God
38:49
by faith
38:49
in Jesus
38:50
Christ,
38:50
then we
38:51
are not
38:51
saved from
38:52
the wrath
38:53
due our
38:54
sin.
38:54
We are
38:55
enemies of
38:55
God and
38:56
citizens of
38:57
the world
38:57
that will
38:58
be destroyed.
39:01
Praise be
39:02
to God
39:02
that the
39:03
humble who
39:03
flee to
39:03
him in
39:04
Christ are
39:05
granted the
39:05
right to
39:07
be citizens
39:07
of a
39:08
heavenly
39:08
kingdom.
39:10
In
39:10
closing,
39:11
I want to
39:11
read to
39:11
you just a
39:12
little bit
39:12
from John
39:13
Bunyan's
39:13
The Pilgrim's
39:14
Progress.
39:15
I commend
39:16
this book
39:16
to you.
39:17
If you
39:17
stay here
39:18
long enough,
39:18
I will
39:18
eventually read
39:19
every part
39:20
of it to
39:20
you in
39:21
preaching.
39:25
Bunyan
39:25
writes this
39:26
allegory as
39:27
a dream.
39:28
So he has
39:29
a dream,
39:30
and I just
39:30
want you to
39:30
hear it's
39:31
about a
39:33
man by
39:34
the name
39:34
of Christian
39:35
going on
39:36
this process,
39:39
being saved,
39:40
and going on
39:40
this process
39:41
of following
39:41
Christ.
39:43
Bunyan
39:43
writes,
39:43
I dreamed
39:44
and behold
39:44
I saw
39:45
a man
39:45
clothed
39:45
in rags
39:46
standing
39:47
in a
39:47
certain
39:48
place,
39:48
this is
39:49
Christian,
39:50
with his
39:50
face turned
39:51
away from
39:52
his own
39:52
house,
39:52
a book
39:53
in his
39:53
hand,
39:55
and a
39:55
great
39:55
burden
39:56
on his
39:57
back.
39:57
Burden
39:58
is the
39:58
weight
39:59
of his
39:59
sin,
39:59
his
39:59
recognition
40:00
of his
40:02
spiritual
40:03
poverty.
40:05
I looked
40:05
and saw
40:06
him open
40:06
the book
40:07
and read
40:08
therein,
40:08
and as
40:09
he read,
40:09
he wept
40:11
and trembled.
40:13
And not
40:13
being able
40:13
to contain
40:14
himself any
40:14
longer,
40:15
he broke
40:15
out with
40:16
a lamentable
40:17
cry saying,
40:18
what shall
40:19
I do?
40:21
Later
40:22
in the
40:23
text,
40:24
therefore,
40:24
in this
40:25
plight,
40:26
he went
40:26
home and
40:27
strained
40:28
himself as
40:29
long as
40:29
he could
40:29
so that
40:30
his wife
40:30
and children
40:31
would not
40:31
notice his
40:32
distress.
40:34
But he
40:34
could not
40:35
be silent
40:35
long for
40:36
the reason
40:36
that his
40:37
trouble
40:37
increased.
40:38
Therefore,
40:40
at length,
40:40
he broke
40:41
his mind
40:42
to his
40:42
wife and
40:42
children and
40:43
thus began
40:44
to talk to
40:44
them.
40:45
Oh,
40:46
my dear
40:46
wife,
40:46
he said,
40:47
and you,
40:48
the children
40:48
of my
40:49
deepest
40:49
affections,
40:50
I,
40:51
your dear
40:52
friend,
40:52
am myself
40:53
undone
40:55
by reason
40:56
of a burden
40:57
that weighs
40:57
heavily upon
40:58
me.
40:59
Moreover,
41:00
I am
41:00
certainly
41:01
informed that
41:02
this,
41:02
our city,
41:03
will be
41:03
burned
41:04
with fire
41:05
from heaven
41:06
in which
41:06
fearful overthrow
41:08
both myself
41:09
with you,
41:09
my wife,
41:10
and sweet
41:11
babes,
41:12
shall come
41:13
to a
41:14
miserable
41:14
ruin,
41:15
except some
41:16
way of escape
41:18
can be found
41:18
whereby we
41:20
may be
41:21
delivered.
41:22
And he does
41:23
go on a
41:23
journey,
41:23
and he is
41:24
delivered from
41:24
his burden,
41:25
and he does
41:26
arrive at the
41:26
final destination,
41:28
the celestial
41:28
city,
41:29
and his
41:29
wife later
41:31
comes and
41:32
does the
41:33
same.
41:34
But this is
41:34
where we
41:35
find ourselves,
41:36
poor in
41:39
spirit,
41:39
but knowing
41:40
where to
41:42
turn if
41:43
we are
41:44
blessed,
41:45
finding ourselves
41:46
in Christ,
41:48
clothed in
41:48
his
41:49
righteousness.
41:51
And if you
41:52
can't say
41:52
with the
41:52
confidence that
41:53
you have
41:53
placed believing
41:54
faith in
41:54
Jesus Christ,
41:56
then you
41:57
are a
41:59
pilgrim,
41:59
not yet set
42:01
out on that
42:01
journey,
42:02
living in
42:02
the city
42:03
of destruction,
42:05
just waiting,
42:06
for the
42:06
doom
42:07
that will
42:08
come.
42:09
Turn
42:09
to faith
42:11
in Christ.
42:13
Blessed
42:14
are the
42:14
poor in
42:15
spirit,
42:16
for theirs
42:16
is the
42:17
kingdom
42:17
of
42:18
heaven.
42:19
Let's
42:19
pray together.
42:20
Let's