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Matthew 5:1-4 (NKJV). 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them He said: 3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Matthew 5:1-4 (NKJV) 1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them He said: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Sermon On The Mount:Poor & Sorrowful Matthew 5:1-4
SOM: Poor & Sorrowful • Tonight begins a new Sunday night Sermon Series • We want to begin a series of sermons designed to take a closer look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount • The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous sermon ever preached
SOM: Poor & Sorrowful • We see this sermon in it’s entirety in Matthew chapters 5-7 • There is so much that Jesus covers in this one sermon • We will certainly take our time to go through the scriptures and think about all that Jesus spoke
SOM: Intro • The Bible records that Jesus went up on a mountain to preach this sermon • The mountain spoken of here is located about seven miles southwest of Capernaum • It is known as the Horns of Hattin (Mount of Beatitudes)
SOM: Intro • Jesus went up in altitude because it would be easier to speak to a multitude of people from there • He was seated to speak, which was a custom of teaching among the Jews • The teacher would be seated while all who listened would stand
SOM: Intro • Jesus begins this sermon with what we commonly refer to as the Beatitudes • The term Beatitude means “happy”, “fortunate”, or “blissful” • We see the word “Blessed” repeated over and over • We might substitute “happy” for “blessed”
SOM: Poor • Jesus begins in verse 3 by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” • There are a couple of different ideas that are suggested here • One is poor in spirit being those who view their spiritual state as lacking
SOM: Poor • The idea here is a humility towards the way one sees himself spiritually • Do you see yourself as a sinner who needs a savior or as a righteous person who can do it all on your own? • The way we approach our spiritual condition is important!
SOM: Poor • The contrast here is between one who has an attitude of humility vs. one of pride • There is perhaps no better example than the one found in Luke 18:9-14 • Here is the familiar story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying about their spiritual state
SOM: Poor • It’s not the proud who stand to enter the kingdom of heaven, but the humble • It’s is for those who recognize their need for God and the salvation He so freely gives • However, there is also another thought given here…
SOM: Poor • That thought is one of having the spirit of poverty • This is the man who, whether he has money or not, does not trust in or depend upon his riches in life • Instead he sees that his dependency is upon God and God alone
SOM: Poor • Jesus was once asked by a rich young ruler what he must do to be saved • Jesus spoke of keeping the commandments, of which the young man certainly had • However, Jesus then went a step further with that young man (Luke 18:22)
SOM: Poor • This young man did not have a spirit of poverty • Perhaps he did not see how he could live his life apart from his riches • However, he seemed to think that he could live that same life apart from Christ as he went away sorrowful
SOM: Sorrowful • The next verse says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” • Those of that time knew about mourning • We all have things we mourn over • Those of that day even had professional mourners whose job it was to mourn at a funeral
SOM: Sorrowful • Jesus here is not speaking about mourning over a funeral • The meaning behind this is more of a spiritual one • The first thing we should mourn over is our own sin • Do we still mourn over our own sins?
SOM: Sorrowful • Anytime we sin and cause God grief and sorrow, we too should mourn over that sin • We cannot become desensitized to the things of the world • Remember that it is godly sorrow that leads us to true repentance, which is turning from sin (II Cor. 7:10)
SOM: Sorrowful • Our sorrow should also be for the sins of the world • Again, have we become desensitized to what we see in the world around us? • Is apathy our problem? • Those who mourn over the sinful state of the world shall be comforted