THE BEATITUDES (2)

TOPIC: THE BEATITUDES (2)
TEXT: MATTHEW 5:1-12
MEMORY VERSE: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – is a confusing verse, for spirit is a good thing but being poor is bad; so how can we combine the two to make heaven? Here Jesus was not talking about spiritual poverty, it was not also talking about being rich; He was actually referring to a state of the heart whereby one count himself to be as nothing in Him, no matter who you are and what you are. Jesus was talking about a state of humility. To understand this statement better, let’s replace the word ‘poor’ with ‘humble’: Blessed are the humble in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ God will give the keys of the Kingdom to a (wo)man who is humble, He gives grace (His Kingdom) to the humble and oppose the proud. We can learn this from Moses and Peter, Moses left his degrees and business to see God in glory; Peter left his fishing business on a day he caught great multitude of fishes to become a fisher of men (the Kingdom of God upon earth is built on him).

Many of us in life are giants when it comes to the things of this world, some of us we have cars, houses, fat bank accounts, exposures, great careers; some are professors, governors, directors, bankers, millionaires, etc. We have become great and achieved so greatly; we have been made and become wealthy. Even those who are not in the categories of people mentioned above, talented individuals who sings, led praise/worship during service, play organs/pianos or whatever instruments in churches, people who man one thing or the other have become something and standing at a level with an advantage. Somehow they have become rich in one area, if care is not taking, pride may set in and if one is in such category, one might miss the Kingdom.

We do pray, fast, give offerings and tithes and also carry out some other assignments in the church; we have become giants. Each and everyone can be so proud and take pride in whatever we have become and doing for God, especially when somebody who is not up to us in age, in exposure, in experience or in achievement is made the head of department. Imagine, as a chorister, you go to rehearsal regularly, you lead praise/worship session, people already know you in the church and one day, your leader, maybe he is just a nobody talk to you anyhow and you decided that you are no longer coming for rehearsal, you saw that incident as an embarrassment; beloved, all what you are doing has made you spiritually rich, but you become poor in spirit (humble yourself) to gain the Kingdom. But if you think otherwise and say, who is he (your leader), look you met in this church, infact, you are not my mate in any level, you are going away from the Kingdom. You are too rich for God to be in His Kingdom. Repent!

For example, a director in government ministry, maybe on level 16 or whatever level, he commands respect in and out of office. But here is the man, a director serving as an usher in the church; the man was so rich in public life, there is nothing that he is looking for in life that he cannot get based on his position as a director, but look at him in the church, standing why others are sitting, directing people in the house of God. He was so rich but because he wants to gain God, he became humble in God’s presence, he became poor in spirit. He is a director out there but here in the church just an ordinary usher or choir member. It will take a man that has been broken or that has met Christ to drop his pride/title and become an ordinary usher in the church. To a director out there who is not born again, he can never do such a thing. It will look as if you are relegating him/her, as a principle in the Kingdom, anyone that must be great, must become the servant of all; but in the world, anybody that is great must be celebrated and honoured. Pride is a problem for all; everybody has his own pride or ego, but to inherit the Kingdom, we must become and behave like a child. Humility is the key.

Yet to exhaust this teaching, we shall continue tomorrow. We shall learn from Jesus Christ himself, He left His glory and throne to come to die a shameful death on the cross. Also from Satan, how he became so proud and lost the Kingdom and even from the day to day activities we do in the church as children of God, how relevant is this verse to all of them. See you tomorrow and God bless.

“Pride is a problem for all; everybody has his own pride or ego, but to inherit the Kingdom, we must become and behave like a child. Humility is the key.”

Central Truth