I. Has no
resources of his own.
A. Penes
– describes a working man. Has his needs, bur nothing extra.
B. Ptochos
(used in Matthew 5:3) – means absolute poverty. Root word means to cower,
to be beaten to the knees. The first man has nothing extra, this man has
nothing at all. Man does not possess the resources needed to save himself
apart from God. Consider Acts 4:12.
II. Must
realize he is poor.
A. Jesus
did not come to save the righteous, but sinners – Matthew 9:12-13.
B. Many
today have no understanding of their spiritual poverty. "A man’s
pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in
spirit" - Proverbs 29:23.
III. The
reverse of the thinking of most in the world.
A. To be
poor in spirit a man must empty his heart of himself. A man who is
"full of himself" has no room in his life for God.
B. World is
full of people who often times are haughty and self-sufficient. Many in the
world express the same sentiment as did the Pharaoh – "Who is the
Lord, that I should obey his voice" – Exodus 5:2.
1.
Spiritually poor are those who:
a) Have no
resources of their own.
b)
Recognize their spiritual poverty.
c)
Possesses an attitude that is reverse of those in the world.
2. For theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
a) Citizens
of a kingdom are subject to the government of the kingdom.
b) Only
those who are poor in spirit can enter into the kingdom of heaven.
