Chapel Messages
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rev. Michael A. MillerMatthew 5
Listen:
Mr. Michael Miller, a missionary pastor in Calgary, Alberta, preached from Matthew 5. Christ gathered a group of His friends, setting standards of who could be in the group and how they should live. Jesus teaches them what it takes to be part of the Kingdom – how to get in and how to live within the Kingdom.
In verse three Jesus tells the first characteristic in order to be blessed, which is to be favored by God. Those favored by God are to be envied. The reality is that some of you think of God as a dictator waiting to make you miserable. Here we see that God wants you to be happy, that He wants the very best for you.
What does “poor in spirit” look like? It means to be so poor that you have to beg. The person who is poor in spirit acknowledges that he is spiritually bankrupt before God. If you refuse to humble yourself before God, you have no part in his kingdom.
Why are the poor in spirit blessed? They are blessed because they have the kingdom of heaven (v. 3). You must bring yourself under His rule through humility. Are you trying to live the Christian life on your own? Christ rules in the hearts of men. You cannot obey Him apart from His help. Some believers have lost the attitude of being a beggar; they don’t spend time with the Lord. If you’re not poor in spirit, you may be living in sin. Maybe you’re waiting for a disaster to occur in your life to bring you back to God. God may not bring a disaster into your life; He may be doing something more subtle. You may be struggling with sin because you’re not poor in spirit; you’ve become arrogant in spirit. God is chastening you by taking His grace away from you. God’s grace has departed from you because He resists the proud (James 4:6).
How can you tell if you are poor in spirit? Have you humbled yourself, turned from your sin and believed in Christ? Repentance and faith are required to enter the Kingdom. How much time do you spend with God, in His Word and praying? Prayerless believers are proud believers – they think they don’t need to spend time with God.
How do you view other believers? Do you have a critical spirit? The Laodicean believers claimed allegiance to Christ, they thought they were okay spiritually, but they didn’t realize that they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:14-22). Christ rebukes them for being lukewarm. Believers who are willing to view themselves as poor are very rich. Pride evidences itself in apathy. Are you apathetic when you see others enjoying hearing God’s Word and praying?
Spiritual poverty is a foundational characteristic for life in the Kingdom. God will dwell in you if you are humble (Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2).
Are you poor in spirit? Have you humbled yourself before God? If not, do it today; ask for His mercy. Make a commitment to live dependent upon God. If you are God’s friend, there will be evidence that you are poor in spirit. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”