Beattitudes- Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit by Owen Cooper

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

What does it mean to be blessed?

The word “blessed” is an adjective, that is, it’s a descriptor word.

Who are the poor in spirit?
We know what it means to be poor. But some of the ways this Greek word (ptochos) is used in the Bible according to http://www.blueletterbible.org/ will expand our understanding of “poor.” Here they are:

1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms
2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour
a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches
b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end
c) poor, needy
3) lacking in anything
a) as respects their spirit
1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ's teaching and proved them selves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)

Looking up and down that list, the word blessed is most likely not going to come into your mind!

Do you feel blessed when you’re reduced to begging?
Do you feel blessed when you have no money? Or when you have no power to change your circumstances? Or no respect from others?
Do you feel blessed when you are lacking?

But what does it mean to be poor in spirit?

Here are some other yearnings of the spirit from Scripture. Look them up and see how God deals with the:
Oppressed in spirit 1 Samuel 1:15
Crushed in spirit Psalm 34:18
Humble in spirit Proverbs 16:19; 1 Peter 3:8
Deeply moved in spirit John 11:33
Troubled in spirit John 13:21
Sober in spirit 1 Peter 1:13

Did you see a common theme?

Hannah was oppressed in spirit. God heard her and allowed her to have a baby after years of being unable. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. It is better to be humble in spirit. Jesus was deeply moved in spirit at Lazarus’ death. God allowed Lazarus to come back from the dead. Jesus was troubled in spirit when he knew a disciple would betray him. This is a rare time where we see God not intervene. Peter commands us to keep sober in our spirit and after this list we can see why!

A couple of other things to note about our spirit. There is a kind of spirit we want to avoid:
Stagnant in spirit Zephaniah 1:12 (The Lord will punish the stagnant in spirit.)

Lastly, some positive things for our spirit:
Strong in spirit Luke 1:80 (Describes John the Baptist.)
Fervent in spirit Acts 18:25; Romans 12:11 (Describes how a teacher was teaching. Describes how we are to serve the Lord.)
United in spirit Philippians 2:2 (We are asked to be united to all other believers.)
In spirit and truth John 4:23-24 (Describes how God is to be worshipped.)

Are you beginning to see where Jesus was coming from when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”?

Remember the upside down perspective Pastor David talked about in the introductory e-mail study? Here we see it again!

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

First, a Kingdom should be defined as royal power, kingship, dominion, or rule. It is not to be confused with an actual kingdom of land, but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. In Scripture, the Kingdom of Heaven (or of God) is spoken as the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah. And Jesus’ royal power and dignity are conferred on Christians in the Messiah's kingdom. So the Kingdom of Heaven is anywhere Jesus Messiah reigns.

Here’s some more Matthew references to the Kingdom of Heaven:

Matthew 3:2
Matthew 4:17
Matthew 5:3
Matthew 5:10
Matthew 5:19-20
Matthew 7:21
Matthew 8:11
Matthew 10:7
Matthew 11:11-12
Matthew 13:11
Matthew 13:24
Matthew 13:31-33
Matthew 13:44-47
Matthew 13:52
Matthew 16:19
Matthew 18:1-4
Matthew 18:23
Matthew 19:12-14
Matthew 19:23
Matthew 20:1
Matthew 22:2
Matthew 23:13
Matthew 25:1
So here’s a perspective I’ll ask you to ponder this week:

What if the Kingdom of Heaven is ours when we are powerless?

“And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

What if when we think we have it all together, we are actually hindering God from working in our lives? What if our lack of money or our lack of power or our lack of respect is a tool that God is using to perfect us for the Kingdom of Heaven?

“Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you encounter trials of many kinds, for the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

And if that’s the case, then what are we supposed to do?

Look at beginning of James 1 again. “Consider it pure joy!”

What do we have to be joyful about in our trials and our testing, in our “poor spirits”?

Because, “ours is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Our joy will be to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

“For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Questions for Reflection:

In what ways do I feel “poor in spirit”?
In what ways do I feel blessed?
How would you describe your spirit right now?
Where do you see the Kingdom of Heaven in your life?
How can you be joyful this week in the midst of your trials?