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@ The Bitcoin Church
2024-04-24 04:26:44Hey everyone and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
This series is based on the Beatitudes, found in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
Today we are discussing, The Poverty That Possesses.
Text
Matthew 5:3 NKJV
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 8:1-9 NKJV
Excel in Giving
1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,
4 imploring us with much urgency [a]that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.
7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
Christ Our Pattern
8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Prayer
Father, we thank You for adopting us as your children.
With eyes wide open to Your mercies, we come to dedicate ourselves to you afresh.
Help us to use our talents and testimony that others may know Christ.
As be bring our tithes and offerings, we pray Your blessings upon them.
Help us meet the expenses of the ministry of this church and engage in ministries to the outer most ends of the earth.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction.
The person who is truly poor in spirit is blessed because such poverty enables that person to possess the supreme possession of all, “the kingdom of heaven.”
For our sakes, Jesus set the example in 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Poverty of spirit is the first character trait Jesus wants in His followers, the subjects of His kingdom.
It is a trait that carries its own reward, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Note the tenses here carefully, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” not “have been,” or “ shall be,” but “are.”
Two questions about his beatitude call for an answer.
- What is poverty of spirit?
Jesus said that the ones who are poor in spirit are blessed.
How so?
What does He mean?
Let’s consider the answer from two points of view.
Firstly negatively.
Poverty of spirit does not mean poverty of possessions.
It is true that earthly poverty does sometimes produce conditions in which Christian virtues might thrive.
It is also true that the Bible warns us against “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” because of their power to distract us from the desire for heaven’s treasure.
But happiness is a matter of character, not conditions.
It issues from the rightness of our hearts, the relationships of our lives, and not from external conditions.
A person may be a millionaire and yet be poor in spirit.
Someone could be penniless but also proud and arrogant.
Poverty of spirit does not mean poverty of native endowment.
No life was ever richer that Jesus’ life, yet He was poor in spirit.
Poverty of spirit does not mean poverty of spiritual life in the sense of being feeble and neutral in our life.
Jesus came to bring the abundant life.
He had patience with those of little faith, those weak in spirit, and those impetuous in actions.
But He wanted to help them grow, to be of great faith, to be of strong convictions.
Poverty of spirit does not mean pretension of humility.
Some are great at self depreciation.
Jesus had no patience with the sort of person that is always saying “I am nothing and nobody and not worth your attention.”
Often deep down in their hearts, they are desirous of people knowing them in the marketplace and being the proudest of the proud.
The pride that apes humility is more detestable than the pride that casts of all disguise.
The second point of view is the positive.
What then is this poverty of spirit that Jesus called blessed?
Poverty of spirit is that quality of spirit that accurately perceives that man, as he is, has no virtue inherent in himself, that each gift and each grace of the spirit comes from God.
When we see how completely dispossessed of virtue and grace and righteousness we are in ourselves, pride, self esteem, and self righteousness must fall away.
Then we see how rebellious against God and His righteousness our wills have been, we want to cry our with Paul, “Wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:24)
Poverty of spirit is the realisation that spiritually we are dispossessed, bankrupt, and without merit of our own.
Poverty of spirit is that quality of spirit that recognises that, apart from God, man is forever incomplete, and that the true centre of life is God.
The world has little time and no admiration at all for such a person.
Rather, it admires the self sufficient man, the self confident man, the so called self made man, the man who feels he is complete within himself.
The Greek philosopher Plato, discussing the good man, the happy man, places one condition upon him, he must be self sufficient.
Can you imagine standing before the Lord and expecting to enter heaven but also saying you were self sufficient?
Poverty of spirit is that quality of spirit that intensely desires that God will supply the true needs of the soul.
Jesus told a story of “two men” who “went up to the temple to pray.”
One, a Pharisee, did not actually pray.
Instead, he gave God a recital of his qualities and virtues.
He was self righteous, self satisfied.
This is exactly what poverty of spirit is not.
The other man, a publican, was so conscious of his need, so full of the sense of his own shortcomings, he would not even lift his head.
Yet, so desirous was he of God’s blessings that he cried out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
This is poverty of spirit.
2. How does this poverty of spirit bless us?
In what sense is it true that the poor in spirit are happy in the blessings of possessing the kingdom?
Here are five links in a chain that must not be broken.
Poverty of spirit causes us to seek in Christ the grace we need.
We need not mere conviction of sin, for conviction does not always lead to repentance and conversion.
Poverty of spirit is that appraisal of our lack on the one hand and of our sins on the other that cause a person to seek salvation.
Poverty of spirit conditions us for receiving the gift of God.
All of the prophets have realised this.
Isaiah said in Isaiah 57:15, For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
David said in Psalm 51:17, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
Poverty of spirit releases the saving grace of God upon us.
This is our only hope.
This is effective only when we empty our hearts of self and throw ourselves like broken vessels on His mercy.
Poverty of spirit fits us for service in the kingdom.
God loves to use the life that keeps self out of sight and honours only Him.
Poverty of spirit opens the eyes of the heart on the broad horizons of heavens possessions.
The vision says, “You are a child of the king. These things are yours.”
Conclusion.
Let’s test ourselves.
Let each of us ask, “Am I poor in spirit, or am I self satisfied, self righteous, and arrogant?”
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer. Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at The Refinery.
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us at www.refinerylife.org
2024 IS A YEAR OF DECISIONS AND OPEN DOORS
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