Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Matthew 5:3
SERMON SUMMARY: Happiness is the pursuit of every person on earth, but few ever gain this elusive prize. Yet the Son of God opens "the greatest message ever spoken" by giving us a clear understanding of who the blessed (i.e. happy) are and why they are in this state of elation. Join us as we examine the great happiness of the poor in spirit. |
Message begins at approx. the 27 min mark.
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"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3
Matthew 5:3
As we open this series you’ve heard me talk about how the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest message ever uttered. Yet again, I can emphasize that we have before us yet another reason why this is so: it is because it opens with the greatest possible topic, that of happiness.
The word blessed could be translated “happy.” So that our passage could read, "happy are the poor in spirit." Happy are those who mourn. Happy are those who are meek, etc.
And this is a topic that everyone thinks about. Happiness, you might say, is the most basic pursuit of mankind. As a matter of fact, this is something that is at the very heart of what our country is about. Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, has in its opening lines this very concept. We believe, as Americans, that we have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What’s more, almost every major philosopher that has ever lived has sought to deal with this topic. That’s because happiness seems like such a nebulous concept. It’s one that we all want, but can’t seem to keep hold of. And so these philosophers, understanding this dilemma, hey have sought to define and express what really constitutes happiness. And they have attempted to say, in one way or another, this is how you achieve a real state of happiness.
As a matter of fact, the history of philosophy on this subject is so vast, I almost dedicated a whole sermon to it. But let me just give you a few samples from some of history's most famous philosophers:
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less" — Socrates
I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them" — John Stuart Mill
The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily" — Plato
The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large" — Confucius
Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder" — Henry David Thoreau
Each of these may have a grain of truth, but they are definitely off base to a wide degree. That's because they have no real basis in absolute truth. But they all show how men are seeking happiness and trying to grasp hold of this ever elusive thing.
But I would assume that you are not that much different than anyone else in this world. You are one who no doubt craves this glorious condition. You desire happiness and long to have it in abundant quantities.
So there’s no doubt that when Jesus starts out by talking about the state of blessedness, he is dealing with the subject that is foremost on everyone’s mind. And this great dissertation would have captivated his audience, drawn them in and hooked them on every word that he would go on to speak in this message.
But what's important to understand is that we have the greatest philosopher who ever lived, the Son of God himself, giving us a full revelation of what really constitutes true happiness. As the Creator, He knows where happiness is to be found and he lays it out like no other philosopher ever could.
Well, we’re going to have opportunity to delve into this topic quite thoroughly over the next several weeks. And we begin here with this first statement, “blessed (i.e. happy) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And you will notice that there is a simple paradigm that we can use. We’re going to consider two basic things. We will first look at who the blessed are and then we will see how exactly they are blessed.
I. Who are the blessed?
Well the passage clearly says that the blessed ones are "Those who are poor in spirit." But we need to identify who exactly the poor in spirit are. There has been quite a bit of confusion over this phrase throughout the history of the church. So it would be good for us to pause and key in on whom exactly it is Jesus speaking.
And maybe the best way to do this is by identifying who is not being referred to first. One of the ways we identify who someone is is by the way of negation. We whittle it down by throwing out the ones who do not fit the bill.
We can begin, then, by understanding that it is not the physically poor to which he is referring.
It is those who are poor in 'spirit.' There has been some confusion in the history of the church on this. There are various groups who have taken Jesus to mean physical poverty. And so they have thought that economic advancement and wealth are to be rejected.
And this may be reinforced by the cross reference over in Luke’s gospel. In Luke 6 Jesus is quoted to say, “blessed are the poor.” It is not qualified as “poor in spirit.” This has only served to further endorse this view in the eyes of many that Jesus was merely talking about financial prosperity and how it ought to be rejected.
And there is some truth to this. Don’t get me wrong. There is a pinch of truth in every error. There have been many people who have found that there is no happiness to be found in gaining lots of money. As a matter of fact, the Bible will tell you that many people who have desired to be rich have fallen into temptation. They have found it to be a snare, which has plunged them into all kinds of ruin and destruction.
But mind you this, it was not the wealth itself that put them in this miserable condition. The Bible is clear that it is the love of money that is the root of evil. The focus in these texts is greed. One who has a covetous heart will be riddled with all kinds of problems all through his days. He will never find happiness because he has no means of satisfaction. He is like the Proverb which says, “The leech has two suckers, each of which cries, “More, more!”
And we should not think that poverty will solve all one’s ills in this regard. There are plenty of greedy people who live well below the poverty line.
Neither will you find yourself in a state of blessedness if you renounce all claims on wealth (or on attaining wealth). This is what many have done in the course of the church. They have thought that if they take Jesus at his word where he says, “Go sell all your possessions” they will find themselves in an enlightened state. Some have even entered monasteries where they take a ‘vow of poverty’ and repudiate all attempts to build wealth.
They will even point to Jesus himself and say, “Look, the Savior himself was one who did this very thing. He lived a life of poverty. He did not have even a place to lay his head. The only thing in his possession was the shirt on his back.” And they will say, “Was he not showing us the way to blessing?”
But let’s be clear. Jesus’ poverty was not a blessing. It was part of the curse that he had to bear. Poverty is something that is a direct result of the fall. If Adam had not disobeyed God, we would all be enjoying abundant riches right now. Poverty exists because sin intruded upon this world. And Jesus left all the riches of his throne in heaven; he made himself poor because, in doing so, he was becoming the sacrifice for sin. He made himself poor because he had to take upon himself the curse of sin. Keep this in mind: From his very birth, Jesus was destitute of all the blessings of this life because he was attempting to appease the penalty which is due to us for sin.
So don’t think that poverty is anywise equated with what Jesus is talking about here in this beatitude. Physical poverty is not what he has in mind.
And neither is it emotional poverty.
I find this important to highlight. For there are some people who like to use this verse as a way of helping people who are struggling with some type of depression or emotional problem. They will say, “Look, you have nothing to worry about. If you are sad or feeling depressed, just remember what Jesus said, ‘blessed are the poor in spirit.”
There are many people, especially well meaning people who are trying to offer real help, who use this verse as a psychological pick me up. They will look at what Jesus is saying here and take it to mean that one who is poor in spirit is one whose “spirits are down” as they say.
This is a complete misunderstanding of the text though. This is an example of reading something into the text. What these people are doing is taking our understanding of spirits today and making that to be what the text is talking about.
In our world today we talk about having “high spirits” or having a downcast spirit. And what we are referring to is our feelings. In our culture today we equate one’s emotions with one’s spirits. And so when someone is feeling a little down, you can help them feel a little better by simply taking this scripture out of context and saying, “Don’t worry pal, it’s okay to feel that way. As a matter of fact, Jesus says that people who are poor in spirit L are blessed.
But that’s not what Jesus is talking about. As a matter of fact, if you just take a second to think about it, you will understand how off base this is. Think about it: this is supposed to cheer you up. If you are blessed because you are down in the dumps, then you are a living oxymoron. You’re happy because you’re sad.
If anything, this is giving you a reason to become more depressed. Well, if I’m blessed because my spirits are down, well, the logical conclusion is that I shouldn’t remedy the problem. It must be good being in this miserable state. As a matter of fact, if I get more depressed, then I’ll only be more blessed, right?
Let me just say that this someone who uses Scripture this way probably shouldn’t be giving counsel. Jesus isn’t talking about emotional upsets. And, let me just say, if you are finding yourself experiencing ongoing episodes of unhappiness, then you should speak with someone who is able to give you wise counsel on how to overcome this. For the Lord does not want his people living like that. He has provided the answers to this terrible state in his Word.
But the question then becomes, what does Jesus mean? If it is not physical or emotional poverty that is in view, what exactly is he speaking of?
The answer is spiritual poverty.
And by spiritual poverty I mean the poverty that is due to sin. Or, to put it another way, it is dealing with the moral aspect of men’s lives.
The one who is blessed is the one who recognizes he has no righteousness of his own of which to speak. He is utterly bankrupt before God because he is a sinner.
Adam, by virtue of his first sin against God, has plunged every one of us into a state of radical depravity. As a result, sin lies at the root of our being. It is lodged deep within us and is at the core of our souls. And due to our fallen condition, sin affects everything that we do.
Jesus is saying that the one who is blessed is the one who recognizes the full degeneracy of his sinfulness before God. He recognizes just how very far short he falls of God’s standard and how he has no ability whatsoever to make himself right with God.
Now, you might think that I overstate the case. But let me just show you from the text. The word for poor comes from a word which means “to crouch,” as in to beg. The word has the following meanings in the lexicon, “destitute of wealth, reduced to begging, powerless, helpless, lacking in anything.” The word has to do with one being so poor that he is completely dependent upon another for his very existence.
That’s what a real beggar really is, mind you. In our present day America, we don’t really have a concept of what real poverty really is. We see pictures on the television from time to time of children from Africa who have sunken faces and swollen tummies. Their bones being seen through their skin. Other than these images, poverty is not something that is all that common to us.
To be poor in America seems mean that your iPhone is not the latest edition. Most people around here who go by the term poor are people who are still getting three square meal and have a warm place to go at night.
Being a beggar in the ancient world was radically different. It was to have nothing at all. You didn’t know where your next meal would come from, if it would come at all. You were completely dependent upon the generosity of others for everything because you had nothing.
And this is the metaphor Jesus uses to describe our spiritual standing before God. We are destitute of all righteousness; we have none of which to speak. There is no one good, no one who seeks for God, all our righteous deeds are as fifthly rags before the Lord because they are teeming with unrighteous motives and are unfit to really be called “good.”
In sum, the person who is blessed is the one who recognizes that he is completely dependent upon God’s benevolence to receive anything in this life.
Do you catch that? Have you asked lately what you really deserve? What should you receive from the hand of God? The answer is not one thing. The house you live in, the clothes you wear, the air you breathe are all generous gifts from His divine hand. All these things ought to be stripped away because of your transgression against God.
And let me say, that if you do recognize the extent of your poverty—if you do see yourself as being spiritually destitute, lacking any and all personal goodness, then you are one who Jesus denominates as blessed.
And O, how blessed you are!
II. How are they blessed?
Though they are completely impoverished—though they lack any degree of righteousness and have no means by which to come into the kingdom of God, Jesus says that these people (and only these people) come to possess the grand totality of heaven.
The exclusive rights that they have. The poor in spirit are the only ones who are eligible for membership in this kingdom. Those who are rich in spirit are have no access or participation in this kingdom.
By rich in spirit we, of course, mean those who do not see themselves as being sinful and lacking all righteousness. These are people who are self-sufficient. They do not believe that their lives are wholly dependent upon God and in real need of his mercy.
This was the Pharisee spirit of Jesus’ day. The Pharisees were people who thought themselves good. They had excelled in many ways at being obedient to the law. We are probably going to see throughout this study that they were the kind of people you’d want as your neighbors. They were upstanding citizens. They attended Sunday School classes and took good care to abide by God’s commands.
But their problem was that they didn’t see their sins for what they were: great offenses which left them destitute. They looked upon their moral lives and put their confidence in those practices, thinking that a holy and just God would accept them and reward them with eternal life.
They thought that they did not need God’s grace and mercy, but that their many works stood for themselves. And Jesus tells us here that such a person who puts confidence in himself and thinks himself rich will not be given this great land. The poor in spirit are blessed. For they (and they alone) are the ones who are given the kingdom.
But they are blessed, not just because they have exclusive rights, but also because they have extensive rights.
Theirs is the “kingdom.”
This is telling us that when you come to confess your sin—when you begin to understand that your very life is dependent upon His mercy, and you cry out to him like a beggar in need, then not only will God’s wrath will pass from you. But He will turn to you in his grace and he will give you the kingdom of heaven. That is all that is associated with the kingdom is now yours to possess. He gives every bit of his kingdom.
Think about this: You are not left standing outside of God’s doorstep with nothing in your hands. Rather the King opens the door invites you to come in. You get place in that kingdom. You get to come under the reign of God and have all the rights and privileges of citizens in his country.
That means you get to enjoy all the fruits of that kingdom: You have eternal life, peace, comfort, satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. You get the blessing of having an audience with the king and you can make appeals to him as your benevolent sovereign.
Furthermore, you get status. He gives you the kingdom. Do you understand what that means? You who are a spiritual pauper, get to be a prince in God’s house.
In sum, though you come to God with nothing, God gives you everything. He generously lavishes upon you the infinite riches of his realm.
And that my friends is the good news of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to obtain for us all the blessings of the covenant of grace. All that Adam lost in the fall, is given to you in Christ. He came into this world in order to make a way for sinners to gain the rich blessing of Paradise once again. And through Him we come to enjoy the infinite bounty of that great land. You might say that the very deed is put in our hands.
Thus we may say that the poor in spirit are most certainly blessed. They are blessed in the highest and most glorious way.
The question simply becomes, are you one of this number? Are you one who has recognized his bankruptcy before God? And have you come to possess the kingdom? I pray that it is so.
The word blessed could be translated “happy.” So that our passage could read, "happy are the poor in spirit." Happy are those who mourn. Happy are those who are meek, etc.
And this is a topic that everyone thinks about. Happiness, you might say, is the most basic pursuit of mankind. As a matter of fact, this is something that is at the very heart of what our country is about. Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, has in its opening lines this very concept. We believe, as Americans, that we have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What’s more, almost every major philosopher that has ever lived has sought to deal with this topic. That’s because happiness seems like such a nebulous concept. It’s one that we all want, but can’t seem to keep hold of. And so these philosophers, understanding this dilemma, hey have sought to define and express what really constitutes happiness. And they have attempted to say, in one way or another, this is how you achieve a real state of happiness.
As a matter of fact, the history of philosophy on this subject is so vast, I almost dedicated a whole sermon to it. But let me just give you a few samples from some of history's most famous philosophers:
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less" — Socrates
I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them" — John Stuart Mill
The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily" — Plato
The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large" — Confucius
Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder" — Henry David Thoreau
Each of these may have a grain of truth, but they are definitely off base to a wide degree. That's because they have no real basis in absolute truth. But they all show how men are seeking happiness and trying to grasp hold of this ever elusive thing.
But I would assume that you are not that much different than anyone else in this world. You are one who no doubt craves this glorious condition. You desire happiness and long to have it in abundant quantities.
So there’s no doubt that when Jesus starts out by talking about the state of blessedness, he is dealing with the subject that is foremost on everyone’s mind. And this great dissertation would have captivated his audience, drawn them in and hooked them on every word that he would go on to speak in this message.
But what's important to understand is that we have the greatest philosopher who ever lived, the Son of God himself, giving us a full revelation of what really constitutes true happiness. As the Creator, He knows where happiness is to be found and he lays it out like no other philosopher ever could.
Well, we’re going to have opportunity to delve into this topic quite thoroughly over the next several weeks. And we begin here with this first statement, “blessed (i.e. happy) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And you will notice that there is a simple paradigm that we can use. We’re going to consider two basic things. We will first look at who the blessed are and then we will see how exactly they are blessed.
I. Who are the blessed?
Well the passage clearly says that the blessed ones are "Those who are poor in spirit." But we need to identify who exactly the poor in spirit are. There has been quite a bit of confusion over this phrase throughout the history of the church. So it would be good for us to pause and key in on whom exactly it is Jesus speaking.
And maybe the best way to do this is by identifying who is not being referred to first. One of the ways we identify who someone is is by the way of negation. We whittle it down by throwing out the ones who do not fit the bill.
We can begin, then, by understanding that it is not the physically poor to which he is referring.
It is those who are poor in 'spirit.' There has been some confusion in the history of the church on this. There are various groups who have taken Jesus to mean physical poverty. And so they have thought that economic advancement and wealth are to be rejected.
And this may be reinforced by the cross reference over in Luke’s gospel. In Luke 6 Jesus is quoted to say, “blessed are the poor.” It is not qualified as “poor in spirit.” This has only served to further endorse this view in the eyes of many that Jesus was merely talking about financial prosperity and how it ought to be rejected.
And there is some truth to this. Don’t get me wrong. There is a pinch of truth in every error. There have been many people who have found that there is no happiness to be found in gaining lots of money. As a matter of fact, the Bible will tell you that many people who have desired to be rich have fallen into temptation. They have found it to be a snare, which has plunged them into all kinds of ruin and destruction.
But mind you this, it was not the wealth itself that put them in this miserable condition. The Bible is clear that it is the love of money that is the root of evil. The focus in these texts is greed. One who has a covetous heart will be riddled with all kinds of problems all through his days. He will never find happiness because he has no means of satisfaction. He is like the Proverb which says, “The leech has two suckers, each of which cries, “More, more!”
And we should not think that poverty will solve all one’s ills in this regard. There are plenty of greedy people who live well below the poverty line.
Neither will you find yourself in a state of blessedness if you renounce all claims on wealth (or on attaining wealth). This is what many have done in the course of the church. They have thought that if they take Jesus at his word where he says, “Go sell all your possessions” they will find themselves in an enlightened state. Some have even entered monasteries where they take a ‘vow of poverty’ and repudiate all attempts to build wealth.
They will even point to Jesus himself and say, “Look, the Savior himself was one who did this very thing. He lived a life of poverty. He did not have even a place to lay his head. The only thing in his possession was the shirt on his back.” And they will say, “Was he not showing us the way to blessing?”
But let’s be clear. Jesus’ poverty was not a blessing. It was part of the curse that he had to bear. Poverty is something that is a direct result of the fall. If Adam had not disobeyed God, we would all be enjoying abundant riches right now. Poverty exists because sin intruded upon this world. And Jesus left all the riches of his throne in heaven; he made himself poor because, in doing so, he was becoming the sacrifice for sin. He made himself poor because he had to take upon himself the curse of sin. Keep this in mind: From his very birth, Jesus was destitute of all the blessings of this life because he was attempting to appease the penalty which is due to us for sin.
So don’t think that poverty is anywise equated with what Jesus is talking about here in this beatitude. Physical poverty is not what he has in mind.
And neither is it emotional poverty.
I find this important to highlight. For there are some people who like to use this verse as a way of helping people who are struggling with some type of depression or emotional problem. They will say, “Look, you have nothing to worry about. If you are sad or feeling depressed, just remember what Jesus said, ‘blessed are the poor in spirit.”
There are many people, especially well meaning people who are trying to offer real help, who use this verse as a psychological pick me up. They will look at what Jesus is saying here and take it to mean that one who is poor in spirit is one whose “spirits are down” as they say.
This is a complete misunderstanding of the text though. This is an example of reading something into the text. What these people are doing is taking our understanding of spirits today and making that to be what the text is talking about.
In our world today we talk about having “high spirits” or having a downcast spirit. And what we are referring to is our feelings. In our culture today we equate one’s emotions with one’s spirits. And so when someone is feeling a little down, you can help them feel a little better by simply taking this scripture out of context and saying, “Don’t worry pal, it’s okay to feel that way. As a matter of fact, Jesus says that people who are poor in spirit L are blessed.
But that’s not what Jesus is talking about. As a matter of fact, if you just take a second to think about it, you will understand how off base this is. Think about it: this is supposed to cheer you up. If you are blessed because you are down in the dumps, then you are a living oxymoron. You’re happy because you’re sad.
If anything, this is giving you a reason to become more depressed. Well, if I’m blessed because my spirits are down, well, the logical conclusion is that I shouldn’t remedy the problem. It must be good being in this miserable state. As a matter of fact, if I get more depressed, then I’ll only be more blessed, right?
Let me just say that this someone who uses Scripture this way probably shouldn’t be giving counsel. Jesus isn’t talking about emotional upsets. And, let me just say, if you are finding yourself experiencing ongoing episodes of unhappiness, then you should speak with someone who is able to give you wise counsel on how to overcome this. For the Lord does not want his people living like that. He has provided the answers to this terrible state in his Word.
But the question then becomes, what does Jesus mean? If it is not physical or emotional poverty that is in view, what exactly is he speaking of?
The answer is spiritual poverty.
And by spiritual poverty I mean the poverty that is due to sin. Or, to put it another way, it is dealing with the moral aspect of men’s lives.
The one who is blessed is the one who recognizes he has no righteousness of his own of which to speak. He is utterly bankrupt before God because he is a sinner.
Adam, by virtue of his first sin against God, has plunged every one of us into a state of radical depravity. As a result, sin lies at the root of our being. It is lodged deep within us and is at the core of our souls. And due to our fallen condition, sin affects everything that we do.
Jesus is saying that the one who is blessed is the one who recognizes the full degeneracy of his sinfulness before God. He recognizes just how very far short he falls of God’s standard and how he has no ability whatsoever to make himself right with God.
Now, you might think that I overstate the case. But let me just show you from the text. The word for poor comes from a word which means “to crouch,” as in to beg. The word has the following meanings in the lexicon, “destitute of wealth, reduced to begging, powerless, helpless, lacking in anything.” The word has to do with one being so poor that he is completely dependent upon another for his very existence.
That’s what a real beggar really is, mind you. In our present day America, we don’t really have a concept of what real poverty really is. We see pictures on the television from time to time of children from Africa who have sunken faces and swollen tummies. Their bones being seen through their skin. Other than these images, poverty is not something that is all that common to us.
To be poor in America seems mean that your iPhone is not the latest edition. Most people around here who go by the term poor are people who are still getting three square meal and have a warm place to go at night.
Being a beggar in the ancient world was radically different. It was to have nothing at all. You didn’t know where your next meal would come from, if it would come at all. You were completely dependent upon the generosity of others for everything because you had nothing.
And this is the metaphor Jesus uses to describe our spiritual standing before God. We are destitute of all righteousness; we have none of which to speak. There is no one good, no one who seeks for God, all our righteous deeds are as fifthly rags before the Lord because they are teeming with unrighteous motives and are unfit to really be called “good.”
In sum, the person who is blessed is the one who recognizes that he is completely dependent upon God’s benevolence to receive anything in this life.
Do you catch that? Have you asked lately what you really deserve? What should you receive from the hand of God? The answer is not one thing. The house you live in, the clothes you wear, the air you breathe are all generous gifts from His divine hand. All these things ought to be stripped away because of your transgression against God.
And let me say, that if you do recognize the extent of your poverty—if you do see yourself as being spiritually destitute, lacking any and all personal goodness, then you are one who Jesus denominates as blessed.
And O, how blessed you are!
II. How are they blessed?
Though they are completely impoverished—though they lack any degree of righteousness and have no means by which to come into the kingdom of God, Jesus says that these people (and only these people) come to possess the grand totality of heaven.
The exclusive rights that they have. The poor in spirit are the only ones who are eligible for membership in this kingdom. Those who are rich in spirit are have no access or participation in this kingdom.
By rich in spirit we, of course, mean those who do not see themselves as being sinful and lacking all righteousness. These are people who are self-sufficient. They do not believe that their lives are wholly dependent upon God and in real need of his mercy.
This was the Pharisee spirit of Jesus’ day. The Pharisees were people who thought themselves good. They had excelled in many ways at being obedient to the law. We are probably going to see throughout this study that they were the kind of people you’d want as your neighbors. They were upstanding citizens. They attended Sunday School classes and took good care to abide by God’s commands.
But their problem was that they didn’t see their sins for what they were: great offenses which left them destitute. They looked upon their moral lives and put their confidence in those practices, thinking that a holy and just God would accept them and reward them with eternal life.
They thought that they did not need God’s grace and mercy, but that their many works stood for themselves. And Jesus tells us here that such a person who puts confidence in himself and thinks himself rich will not be given this great land. The poor in spirit are blessed. For they (and they alone) are the ones who are given the kingdom.
But they are blessed, not just because they have exclusive rights, but also because they have extensive rights.
Theirs is the “kingdom.”
This is telling us that when you come to confess your sin—when you begin to understand that your very life is dependent upon His mercy, and you cry out to him like a beggar in need, then not only will God’s wrath will pass from you. But He will turn to you in his grace and he will give you the kingdom of heaven. That is all that is associated with the kingdom is now yours to possess. He gives every bit of his kingdom.
Think about this: You are not left standing outside of God’s doorstep with nothing in your hands. Rather the King opens the door invites you to come in. You get place in that kingdom. You get to come under the reign of God and have all the rights and privileges of citizens in his country.
That means you get to enjoy all the fruits of that kingdom: You have eternal life, peace, comfort, satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. You get the blessing of having an audience with the king and you can make appeals to him as your benevolent sovereign.
Furthermore, you get status. He gives you the kingdom. Do you understand what that means? You who are a spiritual pauper, get to be a prince in God’s house.
In sum, though you come to God with nothing, God gives you everything. He generously lavishes upon you the infinite riches of his realm.
And that my friends is the good news of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to obtain for us all the blessings of the covenant of grace. All that Adam lost in the fall, is given to you in Christ. He came into this world in order to make a way for sinners to gain the rich blessing of Paradise once again. And through Him we come to enjoy the infinite bounty of that great land. You might say that the very deed is put in our hands.
Thus we may say that the poor in spirit are most certainly blessed. They are blessed in the highest and most glorious way.
The question simply becomes, are you one of this number? Are you one who has recognized his bankruptcy before God? And have you come to possess the kingdom? I pray that it is so.