Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We heard a great message from Bill Chambers yesterday about what it means to be blessed. We were reminded that true blessings are spiritual blessings and that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ you have already been blessed to the max.

Ephesians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

This is the same thing that Jesus was teaching His disciples in the 5^th chapter of Matthew. It’s a passage that we’ve all read and studied. It’s called the “beatitudes” and comes from a Latin word that actually means blessed. Here, Jesus clearly defines the source of true blessings.

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

You may think you know how to be blessed by God. The religious Jews thought they could be blessed if followed the Law of Moses - if they offered the right sacrifices and observed all the special days. Jesus says – that’s not how you’re going to get God’s blessing.  You’ll be blessed if you’re poor in Spirit.

So what does it mean to be blessed? Blessed means blissful or fortunate and we know what it means to be poor. But what does it mean to be poor in spirit?

Some synonyms for the word “poor” are - busted, broke, and bankrupt. Now insert the word “spiritually”. Blessed or fortunate are people who are spiritually bankrupt. Blessed and fortunate are those who realize how spiritually broke they are without God in their life.

God Bless,

Tim