Eight – The Kingdom of God, p. 316

January 22

Entering and experiencing the Kingdom (cont.)…

Two) We must be poor in spirit… One of the great hidden enemies of most people, even many Christians, is being “rich in spirit.” This is why Jesus was so hard on the young man we have come to know as the “rich young ruler.”

This young man lived a highly moral life. He did all the right things. He was earnest about the things of God. But, like Nicodemus, he knew there was a deep lack in his life. Also like Nicodemus, he sought out the Lord. The gospels record that Jesus confronted the young man at the heart of the problem. “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22)

We could easily conclude that, with His words, Jesus was addressing the evils of money – but we would be wrong! Jesus was not focused upon the young man’s wealth, but his heart of self-sufficiency. The young man was trusting in his own ability to provide for his own needs. But even in his great material wealth, he knew that he was painfully empty.

We would think that the anguished state of his condition would make this young man eager to respond to Jesus’ words of truth. But Scripture tells us that he would not be swayed. Jesus gave him the answer he was seeking, as well as the promise of eternal wealth, but the rich young ruler went away saddened. The thought of material poverty was greater than the reality of the spiritual poverty that plagued and tormented his soul.

In truth, the “rich young ruler” could not bear to live life as “poor in spirit.” For this reason, he walked away from the Kingdom of God – and from the King that could have made his life truly rich. In the end, Scripture records that: “Jesus looked at him (with great sadness) and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”” (Luke 18:24-25)

Being rich, or having material wealth, is not Jesus’ focus. Money, in and of itself, is never portrayed as evil in the Scriptures. It is the self-sufficiency, that material wealth brings, which prevents us from entering the Kingdom of God. True life is only discovered when, from our hearts, we are utterly dependent upon The King.

To possess the Kingdom of God we must be poor in spirit.

Eight – The Kingdom of God, p. 315

January 18

Entering and experiencing the Kingdom (cont.)…

Two) We must be poor in spirit. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom – but its members express that Kingdom here on this physical earth. The fundamental foundation of the Kingdom of God is that God is the center of all things – and that all things must be recognized as coming from Him.

This is the essence behind the apostle’s inspired words:

Those who are born from above possess this essential understanding: God is the Source of all that is desired, required, or needed.

The secret to life is found in the fact that Kingdom dwellers are dependent upon God for all things. Self-sufficiency and self-dependence are contrary to Kingdom existence. God, the King, is not seeking for His children to rely upon Him when they cannot provide for themselves – He is seeking for His children to rely upon Him in all things… and at all times. Faith is not just a part-time expression – it is a full-time expression of our hope and trust in God, the King. This truth is often lost in the midst of our independent and self-reliant culture.

Jesus put the principle this way:

To be poor in spirit means that, from our spirits, we see our wealth and our provision coming only from God. We depend upon Him (and His timing) for everything we have, or need. God is not our reserve supply whenever we run out of what we can provide for ourselves – He is our total supply for all that we need at every moment of our lives.

Jesus is telling us that this attitude must be at the very heart of a Kingdom dweller.

This is the lesson Jesus was trying to get across to His disciples when He first sent them out to minister. He commissioned them to go, to preach and to heal, and He specifically told them:

His point? “You are going out to do God’s work… so God will provide all that you need. Do not trust in your own ability to provide – trust in God’s ability to provide.”

Jesus was giving His disciples a life-lesson in what it means to live “poor in spirit.” Those who would possess the Kingdom of God must believe that they are fully possessed by the King, and must trust in His ability to provide all that is needed from His limitless supply…

Two – Understanding Jesus – pg. 65

March 7

Jesus came to bring Conviction and Repentance

“Let us go… to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Jesus – Mark 1:38; see also Luke 4:43)

Jesus came to this earth with a message on His heart. Part of His purpose was to proclaim that message. In the Scripture quoted above, we discover that Jesus is abundantly clear that He was sent to this earth to preach.

This should come as no surprise. The prophet of old informed us that this would be a vital part of The Messiah’s ministry. Isaiah was inspired to declare:

Jesus connected this passage with Himself, in Luke 4:18-19. Jesus’ connection with this passage confirms that He is the long-awaited Messiah of God’s people and declares that a crucial part of The Messiah’s ministry would be one of preaching God’s good news of the Kingdom of God.

The term “preach” means to openly proclaim a message to an audience. Jesus spent a great deal of time walking this earth and talking to the people He encountered along His path. Sometimes He taught them, and sometimes He preached to them (see Matthew 4:23). Isaiah tells us that the Messiah came to declare “good news.” This good news would be centered in something called “the year of the LORD’s favor.”

Jesus came to proclaim a particular kind of help to those who found themselves confined to a particular kind of situation. This audience was comprised of those who were trapped in a deep, overwhelming sense of need – without any hope of escaping their condition. The prophet describes them as “the poor,” “the captives” and “the prisoners.”

“The poor” were not just those who didn’t have much money – they were impoverished in both ability and hope. They were helpless to help themselves in their condition. They needed someone to come along and make an investment in their lives. They were desperate for someone to grant them some manner of provision in their miserable circumstances. The Greek word for “poor” carries the connotation of someone that is forced into the life of a beggar. They are those who must rely on others for their very survival.

The proper understanding of “the poor” is reinforced through the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 The “poor in spirit” are those who have purposely placed themselves in a position of utter dependence on God. This gives us the concept of “poor” that Jesus was talking about.

The “poor” must rely on the kindness and generosity of others. Because they cannot meet their own needs – they are forced to rely on outside sources to provide whatever they may need. Jesus came to preach specifically to the “poor” and to proclaim a message of God’s plentiful provision.