Recognize OUr Poverty
Matthew 5 : 1-3…… Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus started the sermon about the Beatitudes with “ Blessed “ - The Greek word for” blessed” is” markarios “ , which means to be happy .
But that is not the kind of happiness we think of such as a nice vacation , sitting on the beach , sipping on a cold drink ---- well you get the picture.
No , No . It is a deep down happiness that is the joy of the Lord and a spiritual happiness . A happiness that recognizes that we are “ poor in spirit”
In ourselves we cannot do anything and Jesus told us in John 15:5….. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Paul also recognized that without Jesus he was “spiritually poor “ because he said “ I know nothing good dwells in me “ Romans 7:18 .
Without Christ we are not capable of behaving as God designed us .
So in conclusion --- It is not humanly possible to do anything of value that lasts , unless we accept Christ as our all .
Yes we can repent all we want and it will last for a while . But bottom line , with Christ we can say “ I can’t , but You can “
When we recognize the first beatitude as having “ poverty of spirit “ then all the riches of heaven are available to us .
Matthew 5 : 1-3…… Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus started the sermon about the Beatitudes with “ Blessed “ - The Greek word for” blessed” is” markarios “ , which means to be happy .
But that is not the kind of happiness we think of such as a nice vacation , sitting on the beach , sipping on a cold drink ---- well you get the picture.
No , No . It is a deep down happiness that is the joy of the Lord and a spiritual happiness . A happiness that recognizes that we are “ poor in spirit”
In ourselves we cannot do anything and Jesus told us in John 15:5….. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Paul also recognized that without Jesus he was “spiritually poor “ because he said “ I know nothing good dwells in me “ Romans 7:18 .
Without Christ we are not capable of behaving as God designed us .
So in conclusion --- It is not humanly possible to do anything of value that lasts , unless we accept Christ as our all .
Yes we can repent all we want and it will last for a while . But bottom line , with Christ we can say “ I can’t , but You can “
When we recognize the first beatitude as having “ poverty of spirit “ then all the riches of heaven are available to us .